"I would like to express my great relief and satisfaction at the early liberation of Dimitri Dashkevich," on 24 January said Andrea Rigoni (Italy, ALDE), rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on the situation in Belarus, commenting on early release of the leader of the non-registered organisation Malady Front on 23 January, who had been serving a prison sentence in Belarus.
"This liberation was unexpected but long overdue," he added. A few days earlier, the businessman Nikolai Avtuhovich, considered a political prisoner, was also freed ahead of time.
Mr Rigoni continued: "The question of political prisoners is a priority for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in its relations with Belarus, and one which I raised repeatedly with the authorities during my visit to Minsk last October."
"I hope that these releases will be the first of a series of conclusive signs showing the willingness of the Belarusian authorities to come closer to Europe. Personally, I am convinced that only by establishing dialogue with the authorities, as well as the opposition and civil society, can the Council of Europe contribute to this process."
On Tuesday 22 January, the Political Affairs Committee held an exchange of views on the situation in Belarus with representatives of the opposition as well as - for the first time since 2004 - two members of the National Assembly of Belarus.
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