Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) the Belarus Ambassador in London and (b) his counterpart in Belarus on the recent raid of the broadcaster Belsat's Minsk office.

The UK is concerned about restrictions on media freedom in Belarus. We consistently raise our concerns about media freedom as part of ongoing discussions with Belarusian counterparts on human rights and democracy. UK officials last raised concerns in a meeting with the Belarusian Ambassador on 3 April and stressed the importance of a free media with the Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister on 17 April. Our Embassy in Minsk is monitoring the situation of the independent television channel, Belsat, following the search by Belarusian law enforcement officers. The UK continues to support a number of projects to promote and develop independent media in Belarus.