The statement was made by the Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, the President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Rik Daems, and the Secretary-General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric.
"Developments after the presidential elections of 9 August in Belarus and the crackdown exercised by the authorities and law enforcement remain of greatest concern. Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are fundamental European values which must be respected. Violence against peaceful protestors is intolerable", the document said.
The CoE leaders strongly condemned the use of violence in Belarus and called to respect the rights of journalists, adding that "mass arrests and extensive ill-treatment of peaceful protesters cannot be tolerated on our continent".
"We firmly recall our position that all those detained must be released and that there is a need to start genuine and respectful dialogue with the representatives of civil society in view of the constitutional reform long-awaited by the whole country. An end to the crisis and meaningful reforms cannot be negotiated with pro-governmental forces only", the statement said.
The leaders said success could be seen only with the participation of all forces, including the opposition.
"The Council of Europe stands ready to help Belarus on its way to genuine reforms", they said.
Mass opposition protests began across Belarus on 9 August, after the presidential elections, won for the sixth time by President Alexander Lukashenko, who, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC), gained 80.1 percent of the vote. At first, the protests were suppressed by law enforcement officers, who used tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades and rubber bullets against the protesters, who disagreed with the election results.
According to official data, over 6,700 people were detained in the first days. The Belarusian Interior Ministry reported that hundreds of people had been injured during riots, including over 130 law enforcement officers. The authorities have officially confirmed the deaths of three protesters.
Protests have continued to this day, the largest ones taking place on weekends. In addition, events are held by supporters of Lukashenko, whose inauguration took place on 23 September.
