30/08/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 30 August, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service denounced the Belarusian regime’s order of 27 August to close down the Belarusian Association of Journalists, the country’s largest organisation of independent journalists. “This closure is part of the systematic and continued repression of all independent voices in the country”, the spokesperson said in a statement, strongly condemning the ongoing crackdown on the media, non-governmental organisations and human rights defenders. The EU calls on the authorities to end this repression, to respect their international commitments and obligations within the UN and the OSCE, and to “finally” respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of their own population, the spokesperson stressed. According to the EU, 27 media professionals are among the 649 Belarusian journalists recognised as political prisoners. (CG)