MINSK, Belarus, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Swedish citizens living in Belarus were the target of threats sent to the embassy in Minsk, the Swedish government said.
The Swedish Embassy in Minsk, in a statement translated by Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti, reports that citizens were receiving threats in Belarus.
"Due to recent events, including the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador in Belarus, there are grounds for Swedes to be particularly careful and cautious when traveling and staying in the country," the embassy statement read.
The United Nations last month expressed "grave concern" about the pattern of abuses in Belarus. The country recently expelled the Swedish ambassador in response to a public relations act involving toy bears.
The U.S. State Department said actions against Swedish diplomats "only serve to deepen Belarus' self-isolation."
Minsk took action after a Swedish group dropped the toy bears that carried pro-democracy slogans over Belarus in July.
In a June decision, the White House renewed the emergency after taking note of a 2011 crackdown on political opposition and restrictions on the freedom of the press.
