The Swiss foreign ministry has criticised the official police reaction in Belarus following protests which erupted in response to Sunday’s presidential election.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch with SRF, Keystone-SDA/Reuters/dos, ug
العربية
ar
سويسرا تضم صوتها إلى دعوات الإفراج عن المتظاهرين في روسيا البيضاء
“Switzerland expects the Belarusian authorities to release all people detained yesterday and to uphold democracy, rule-of-law, and human rights,” the ministry tweeted on Monday.
External Content
The violence against peaceful protesters after the #BelarusExternal link presidential elections on 9 August is very troubling. Fundamental rights have to be upheld. Election results must reflect the people’s choice. Switzerland will closely monitor further developments. pic.twitter.com/OdxHXxulUFExternal link
It was referring to the arrests of hundreds of people following protests against the declared victory of incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko in elections at the weekend.
A Swiss citizen is among the more than 5,000 detained demonstrators but the Swiss authorities have not been able to contact the 20-year old man held in prison, according to the foreign ministry.
It added the case had “high priority” and a senior foreign ministry official had raised the issue in talks with her Belarus counterpart.
The Swiss national apparently shares a prison cell with at least 15 other foreigners, according to a report by the Swiss public radio, SRF.
Lukashenko, who has been in power in Belarus for 26 years, won with more than 80% of votes against surprise candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. However, opponents rejected the victory announcement, citing massive vote fraud, and many of them took to the streets on Sunday, leading to a security operation that landed some 3,000 arrests.
The European Union also condemned on Monday the “disproportionate and unacceptable state violence against peaceful protesters” and called for the release of those arrested. On Tuesday the EU then announced it was reviewing its relations with Belarus.
The Swiss foreign ministry said it would “closely monitor further developments”.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
Go to war or stay put? Ukrainian men in Switzerland face fresh dilemmas
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
One in five Swiss children suffers psychological abuse at home
This content was published on
In Switzerland, one in five children suffers psychological violence, and one in three has witnessed psychological violence between parents, says the association Kinderschutz Schweiz.
Swiss government minister breaks silence over Trump remarks controversy
This content was published on
Transport Minister Albert Rösti explained himself in a television interview on Sunday evening, after being called out for expressing support for Donald Trump.
Swiss Covid expert calls for caution on vaccination recommendations
This content was published on
The head of the vaccination commission would be “even more cautious today” when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination recommendations.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.