Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the day the Belarusian government launched a violent crackdown on political opposition, civil society and independent media following a protest against what many Western observers termed an “undemocratic” ballot.

Since December 19, 2010 the regime in Belarus, headed by dictator Alexander Lukashenko, has continued to exercise a strong, and often violent, grip on power.

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in a joint statement that, “Over the past 12 months, the Belarusian authorities have imprisoned peaceful demonstrators, suppressed non-violent protests, and worked to silence independent voices.”

“There have also been credible reports of degrading and inhumane treatment of political prisoners,” they added.

Poland's Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it expressed Poland's solidarity with the Belarusian people.

“We are uniting with the arrested Belarusians, who despite repression keep their dignity, and who stay free within themselves,” the ministry wrote.

The ministry expressed its regret that Minsk was continuing to persecute the Belarusian people.

“This only deepens Belarus' isolation from the international arena and rids the society from the chance of building a modern and abundant nation,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that the voices of the Belarusian activists defending the fundamental human rights of people in Belarus are being heard and that Europe is ready to engage even more closely to defend civil society in the country.

UPDATE: WBJ.pl contacted the Embassy of Belarus in Warsaw for a comment.

Contacted by WBJ.pl, the Embassy of Belarus in Warsaw declined to answer any questions regarding oppression in Belarus. Spokesperson Aleksei Zelenko said that “there are no political prisoners in Belarus.”

Mr Zelenko added that “Poland continues to trade with Belarus. This year the overall trade between the two countries was worth $2 billion.”

Izabela Depczyk