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In a statement to the Permanent Council on 19 May, the European Union expressed its concern over the situation of the civil society, harassment of the independent media and intimidation of the political opposition and NGOs in Belarus. Regrettably, we continue to receive information that the pressure against the opposition and independent media from the side of the Belarusian authorities does not diminish. The latest disturbing examples are the reopening of the criminal proceedings against the deputy head of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Mr. Harry Pahanyajla, and the sentencing of Mr. Statkevitch and Mr. Severinets to restricted freedom for organizing protest actions after the referendum. The EU was also disappointed to learn of the recent seizure of copies of the independent weekly newspaper Den by Belarusian authorities.
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