In the joint statement, Vyasna was described as "one of the oldest and most authoritative human rights organizations in Belarus, which has provided assistance to tens of thousands of Belarusian citizens who have suffered from political repressions." Rights watchdogs and Western governments have demanded the immediate release of Byalyatski and his associates. They have been charged with financing or organizing actions that violate public order and smuggling - charges which they vehemently deny. The chairman of Vyasna, Ales Byalyatski, a prominent human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, as well as four other activists from the center, are currently serving lengthy prison sentences. The Belarusian Interior Ministry on August 23 labeled Vyasna, along with its online resources and numerous associated websites, as extremist. The organizations said they "strongly protest against the recognition of the Vyasna Human Rights Center as an extremist formation and express our solidarity with our colleagues." The nongovernmental rights organizations Lawtrend, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Belarusian PEN, Legal Initiative, Office for the Rights of People with Disabilities, Human Constanta, Belarusian House of Human Rights (named after Boris Zvozskov), and the Belarusian Association of Journalists on August 28 endorsed a statement opposing the designation. With reporting by AFPĮight Belarusian rights organizations have jointly protested the government's decision to label the human rights group Vyasna as an "extremist organization," saying the move is part of a policy to destroy civil-society organizations in Belarus. The Foreign Ministry also expressed a "complete misunderstanding" over the intention to expand the list of goods prohibited for import. "We consider it categorically unacceptable to continue trade restrictions on the import of agricultural products of Ukraine after the ban of the European Commission expires on September 15," the press service of the Foreign Ministry said. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on August 26 commented on the possible extension of the ban. Telus added that he and his colleagues from Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania want to add new goods to the list of prohibited imports - for example, Ukrainian raspberries in the case of Poland. Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus confirmed earlier that Poland and four other countries were considering extending the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain until the end of this year.
Kuleba also noted that Ukraine was ready to work with the five countries "to find a solution."
While Ukraine is very grateful to the five countries for the military and humanitarian assistance they have provided since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Kuleba said Ukraine will have no choice but to fiercely defend its rights and the rights of its farmers if the ban is extended. The five EU countries last month signed a joint declaration saying they wanted the import ban to last through the end of 2023 but adding that food can move through their lands to other parts of the world. The EU restrictions had an initial expiration of June 5 but were subsequently extended until September 15. The EU earlier this year set import restrictions on Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seed to ease the excess supply in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia after those countries complained that cheaper Ukrainian grain was making domestic production unprofitable. "This rule will violate the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, but most importantly this move will go against the principle of solidarity that the European Union is based on," he said.
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