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Thank you President

As repeatedly said, also in this Chamber, the human rights situation in Belarus has been rapidly and drastically deteriorating. The recent searches, repression and arrests of family members of political prisoners are the latest demonstrations of Lukashenka’s disregard for rule of law, democracy and fundamental freedoms.  

The European Union firmly reacts to these developments with public statements, sanctions, solidarity with political prisoners and their families and by supporting the work on accountability.  

We continue to call on the regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners. In his latest statement of the 25 January, the High Representative [Josep Borrell] condemned this new wave of repressions and the detention of over 200 people, mostly women, relatives of political prisoners.  

There are nearly 1500 political prisoners currently detained in Belarus. Many of them kept incommunicado for weeks, months, and even years. Many without access to legal representation and appropriate medical care, deprived of their fundamental rights, and submitted to ill-treatment or torture. 

The European Union has introduced restrictive measures against the perpetrators of human rights violations; judges, prosecutors, heads of penal colonies and members of regime’s security services. We are committed to work on further listings. 

We are mobilising all tools to address the situation of political prisoners. The EU Delegation in Minsk regularly requests information from the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs of Belarus on the conditions of prominent political prisoners kept incommunicado. We also ask to visit political prisoners, however to no avail. The minimum we can do is to continue showing our solidarity with political prisoners, notably by standing in front of courts during their trials. We also support families of political prisoners and work to ensure the rehabilitation of those who have served their sentence. 

I assure you that the European Union has been and will continue to lead the effort to support political prisoners and bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations in Belarus, through the International Accountability Platform and in other international fora.  

We have respect and admiration for the people of Belarus and their exceptional courage and dignity. We use every opportunity to convey to the Belarusian people our support for their quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe. 

I thank you.

Link to the video (starting at 27:12): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-252505