WASHINGTON. Sept 6 (Interfax) - The sentencing of Belarusian opposition members Maxim Znak and Maria Kolesnikova by a Belarusian court is illegal and is at odds with the international commitments assumed by Belarus, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday.
"Regrettably, these sentencings are further evidence of the regime's total disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Belarus," Blinken said.
Kolesnikova and Znak "deserved a transparent judicial determination of the bogus charges levied against them, which they did not receive," he said.
As an OSCE participating state, Belarus has committed to respect the right to a fair trial by an independent and impartial tribunal, as well as the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Blinken said.
He called on the Belarusian authorities to end "the campaign of repression against the people of Belarus", to immediately release all political prisoners and to begin a dialogue with the opposition and members of civil society leading to free and fair elections under international observation.
Earlier on Monday, a Minsk court pronounced the conviction in the case of members of the Presidium of the Belarusian opposition's Coordination Council, sentencing Znak to ten years and Kolesnikova to 11 years in a penal colony.
The European Union and the United Kingdom earlier condemned the sentences.