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“The EU is ready to consider additional sanctions against this regime, which clearly does not respect international commitments,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday.
Borrell said the Belarusian regime was “further ignoring international standards” by landing “forcibly and illegally” a Ryanair plane from Athens to Vilnius in May and exploiting the migrants for political purposes. The EU foreign policy chief has in mind that in July alone, Lithuania detained more than 2,000 people on the border with Belarus. illegal migrants.
The EU statement was issued around August 9 last year. the anniversary of the presidential elections in Belarus. Despite numerous cases of fraud, Lukashenko has once again declared himself the winner of the elections.
A few months ago, the EU imposed sanctions on the Belarusian regime for its repression against civil society and the democratic opposition. Additional economic sanctions were recently announced for the country following the arrest of journalist Romano Pratasevičius after the illegal landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk.
Since the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9 last year, the citizens of the country have been fighting heroically for their human rights and fundamental freedoms, said the head of diplomacy of the European Union, J. Borrell, in a statement issued on Sunday. .
A statement issued by Brussels on the occasion of the first anniversary of the re-election of Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko described the elections as falsified.
‘TO. The Lukashenko regime has taken action against its own society and has deepened the conflict with the people of Belarus. “Representatives of the opposition and pro-democracy forces, with thousands of citizens from various walks of life, have died in unclear circumstances, have been arrested or have been forced to leave the country and live in exile,” says the release.
It highlights that the citizens of Belarus have peacefully protested against the Lukashenko regime’s failure to comply with the rule of law and the country’s international obligations, including in the field of human rights.
‘TO. “The Lukashenko regime has launched a well-organized campaign of repression and intimidation against civil society and human rights defenders, as well as the systematic destruction of NGOs and independent media, with the ultimate goal of silencing all the independent voices and suppress civil space in Belarus, “said Borrellis.
“Arbitrary and unjustified detentions, unjust persecution, including denial of a fair trial, and hundreds of documented cases of torture, continue in an environment of impunity. The regime posed an even greater challenge to the international community with the illegal crash landing. of the 4,978 Ryanair flights in Minsk on May 23 and the use of vulnerable migrants for political purposes, “the statement said.
According to Borrell, the Polish community has also become the target of this policy of the Belarusian regime.
“Together with like-minded partners, the EU openly and unanimously calls on the Lukashenko regime to end its repressive actions. In accordance with its step-by-step approach, the EU is ready to consider further action in response to the continued contempt of the regime. for its international obligations. The only way to end the political crisis is a comprehensive national dialogue, “said the EU’s head of diplomacy.
He stressed that the lifting of EU sanctions will only be possible when the Belarusian authorities begin to uphold all democratic principles and the rule of law, respect human rights commitments and end all repression.
The declaration states that the regime must “unconditionally release and rehabilitate more than 600 political prisoners and participate in a serious, credible and inclusive political process leading to free and fair elections under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights “.
Mr Borrell also said that as soon as Belarus took the path of democratic change, the EU pledged to help it stabilize its economy, reform its institutions to make them more resilient and democratic, create new jobs and improve living standards, even through the implementation of $ 3 billion. a comprehensive financial support plan worth one billion euros.
The EU Head of Diplomacy reaffirmed the European Union’s continued support to the people of Belarus, including “emergency assistance to victims of persecution and independent media, as well as humanitarian assistance to civilians.”
The EU also supports international initiatives to bring all perpetrators to justice, including through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Platform for Accountability with Belarus.
“The EU will continue to support a democratic, independent, sovereign, prosperous and stable Belarus. The voices and will of the people of Belarus will not be silenced,” Borrell said in a statement.
