European Commission announced further sanctions against Belarus

Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0 Author: Homoatrox
Mass protests against Lukashenko in Minsk, 23 August 2020.

On Sunday evening, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Kaja Kallas, along with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, announced further sanctions against the regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka (Alexander Lukashenko) following the so-called presidential elections in Belarus. According to the state media, Lukashenka, unrecognised by the West, purportedly won 86.82% of the votes.

“Today’s sham election in Belarus has been neither free, nor fair. The people of Belarus deserve a real say in who governs their country. The relentless and unprecedented repression of human rights, restrictions to political participation and access to independent media in Belarus, have deprived the electoral process of any legitimacy. We urge the regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, over a thousand of whom are arbitrarily detained, including an employee of the Delegation of the European Union,” Kallas and Kos stated.

Adopting a common position by the European Union requires unanimous consent from all 27 member states. Kallas stated that sanctions against Belarus would continue due to the regime’s involvement in Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks on neighbouring countries.

She emphasised that the regime’s late invitation to the OSCE to observe the elections—just ten days prior—prevented the organisation from accessing critical stages of the electoral process. She remarked that this is yet another proof of these elections’ total lack of credibility.

“For these reasons, as well as the involvement of the Belarusian regime in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks against its neighbours, the EU will continue imposing restrictive and targeted measures against the regime, while financially supporting civil society, Belarusian democratic forces in exile, and Belarusian culture. Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU is ready to support the country stabilise its economy and reform its institutions.”

Kallas also expressed the EU’s readiness to support Belarus in stabilising its economy and reforming its institutions once the country begins its democratic transformation. Furthermore, she called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, noting that more than a thousand individuals are arbitrarily detained. She specifically demanded the release of Mikalai Khil, an employee of the EU mission in Minsk, who faces a potential 12-year prison sentence.

The elections were held on Sunday. Lukashenka, who has been in power for 31 years, sought a seventh term. The other official candidates received between 1% and 3% of the votes, while 5.1% of voters were expected to vote against all candidates.

Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for further sanctions against Belarus.

Lithuania’s Budrys: The regime, a threat to the EU

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that Europe must not underestimate the threat the Belarusian regime poses, especially as Lukashenka’s “reappointment” as president approaches.

“As the Belarusian regime gears up for Lukashenka’s reappointment event this weekend, Europe must be outspoken about the dictatorship in its neighbourhood,” Budrys remarked on X on Friday.

He added, “Since 1994, Lukashenka’s regime has tightened its grip. Currently, there are over 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus. The persecution of media, opposition, and civil society continues. Belarus serves as Russia’s military backyard, directly assisting in its war against Ukraine. For nearly 30 years, the regime has suppressed the opposition and independent media.

Massive protests erupted in Belarus after the presidential election in 2020, resulting in a brutal crackdown on demonstrators, with around 65,000 people detained and many seeking refuge abroad. Human rights activists report that there are currently about 1,300 political prisoners in the country, with the most influential members of the Belarusian opposition either imprisoned or living in exile.

Budrys emphasised that Europe cannot ignore the growing danger on its doorstep.

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