Armenian NGOs rally in support of jailed Belarusian activists  

Several local NGOs representing the national platform of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Civil Society Forum in Armenia rallied outside the Belarusian Embassy on Thursday, calling for the release of three civic activists jailed from September 7 to 9.  

"We call upon the Belarusian authorities to take action for the immediate release of the citizens exercising their right to freedom of assembly, and especially our colleagues affiliated with the Civil Society forum," said one of the protesters, not ruling out the possibility of further steps depending on the Belarusian authorities' actions)

Asked whether Yerevan has adequately reacted to the developments in Belarus, the activist replied, "We would like them [the government] to keep a closer eye on all that. There are representatives of active civil society institutes here. We stand by the Belarusian people and urge them to be stable and strong and know that the Armenian people - especially the civil society - offer them their best possible support. Much depends on their willpower and resistance to bring their revolution to an end."

The activist added that the national platforms of all the six EaP member states are now organizing protest actions in their respective countries.

The unending street protests in Belarus reached their peak after September 9 as the country's Central Electoral Commission announced incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko's victory for the sixth consecutive term.