Scenes of protest in Minsk on Sunday night.
Keystone / Anna Ivanova
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”.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
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.