Swedish human rights activists: Business shouldn’t contribute to repressions in Belarus

• 8.09.2009, 17:11

A Swedish human rights organisation Ostgruppen has addressed the Industry Minister Maud Olofsson with such an appeal.

Human rights activists call upon the minister to do everything possible to make Swedish business “not to contribute to repressions in Belarus”.

The grounds for such an appeal of Swedish human rights watchdogs was a statement of the board of directors of TeliaSonera company, who bought shares of Belarusian BeST (Life : ) trademark) mobile network operator through Turkish Turkcell.

Swedish human rights activists believe that it is highly possible Belarusian authorities use telecommunication networks to intercept information and spy upon political opponents, especially during elections. Ostgruppen does not exclude that TeliaSonera could contribute to the Belarusian regime in this area.

In their comment published by Svenska Dagbladet, the spokesperson for TeliaSonera Cecilia Edström said that after entering the Belarusian market, the company should follow the laws of the country.

According to Ostgruppen, though TeliaSonera leadership denies charges of cooperation with dictatorship, the statement by Cecilia Edström should be interpreted in the following way: “according to the law, any information about clients of a cellular operator could be given to law-enforcing agencies”. During the elections in Belarus, court decisions could concern any opponent of the regime, human rights watchdogs believe.

A leading Swedish telecommunication company TeliaSonera is a companion of Turkcell mobile network operator, that bought 80% of shares of one of the Belarusian mobile network operators BeST. The Swedish own 37% of shares of the Turkish company. the state owns part of the Swedish company as well.