Germany urges Belarus to respect its citizens' freedoms

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya who refused to board the flight after she said she was taken to the airport by her team against her wishes, entered the Polish embassy in Tokyo. She was seeking asylum in Poland according to a member of the local Belarusian community in touch with her.

Germany on Monday urged Belarus to respect the basic rights and freedoms of its citizens after a Belarusian sprinter refused to board a flight in Tokyo and sought asylum. "We call on the authorities in Belarus to respect basic democratic rights, including freedom of the media, freedom of the press and freedom of expression," a German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told a regular government news conference.

"This applies to every citizen of Belarus and, of course, to sportsmen and sportswomen," she added. Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya who refused to board the flight after she said she was taken to the airport by her team against her wishes, entered the Polish embassy in Tokyo. She was seeking asylum in Poland according to a member of the local Belarusian community in touch with her.

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