Belarus denies visa to PACE member Christos Pourgourides

PACE deputy Chritos Pourgourids who was invited to attend the Belarusian European Forum in Minsk will be unable to arrive in Belarus, reports the press office of Movement for Freedom.

During a meeting between PACE representatives and Belarus's head of mission at the Council of Europe Andrei Bushyl, the Belarusian diplomat said that the Belarusian authorities would prevent Pourgourides from coming to Belarus. A Belarus official hinted that the reknowned Cyprus MP would not receive a visa either at the Belarusian Consulate in Paris or at the Minsk International Airport.

In 2004, Chritsos Pourgourides served as PACE Rapporteur on Belarus and investigated the political disappearance in Belarus. His reports about the missing high-profile people in Belarus were crucial for attracting the human rights situation in Belarus.

Currently, he is the first deputy of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human rights chairman.