Icon: enlarge
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Photo:
Omer Messinger / Getty Images
The protest movement in Belarus faces violence, arbitrary arrests and kidnappings during its demonstrations.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg therefore accuses the country's leadership of "unacceptable violations of international norms".
The Belarusian authorities are called upon to demonstrate full respect for fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.
Stoltenberg had this communicated after telephone calls with the foreign ministers from the Baltic states and Poland.
All allies supported a sovereign and independent Belarus.
"Both Minsk and Moscow should respect the right of the Belarusian people to determine their own future," said Stoltenberg.
Since the presidential election on August 9, Belarus has held protests and strikes against the authoritarian head of state Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years.
Security forces respond to the protests with arrests, among other things.
Stoltenberg again warned against using unsubstantiated claims as an excuse to quell peaceful protests.
There is no NATO mobilization in the region, he said, referring to statements by Belarusian politicians.
According to official information, Lukashenko received 80.1 percent of the vote and declared himself the winner.
However, the vote was overshadowed by massive forgeries - the EU, the USA and other countries do not recognize the alleged result.
Icon: The mirror
mes / dpa