Four years ago, on 9 August, the people of Belarus took to the streets to peacefully protest against the fraudulent presidential elections and Lukashenka’s attempt to take away their right to decide their future. Since then, and despite violent repression, the Belarusian people have repeatedly and bravely stood up for their human rights and their country’s democratic future.

The Lukashenka regime has responded with a massive campaign of violence and intimidation against its own people. There are around 1,400 political prisoners currently in detention. They represent only a fraction of the thousands of individuals who have been in and out of politically motivated detention since 2020. Lukashenka launched a total crackdown against the Belarusian civil society, human rights defenders, free media and journalists, political opponents, independent trade unionists, representatives of national minorities, and ultimately against all ordinary citizens expressing their views, both in and outside the country.

At least six political prisoners lost their lives in detention, and many have been held incommunicado for more than a year. Some of the detainees have life threatening conditions and require urgent medical assistance. Such treatment of prisoners and detainees is in violation of international law and Belarus’ own commitments. In his latest report, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the crime of persecution, which is a crime against humanity, may have been committed in Belarus. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and unjustly detained people.

Belarusian sovereignty and identity are increasingly under threat. In addition to wide-scale domestic repression, the Belarusian regime has been complicit in Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Besides political, military and logistical support, it has contributed to the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia. Since 2021, the regime has also orchestrated migration pressure on the EU’s external borders.

For all this, the EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions against the regime and its supporters. On 5 August, the EU adopted additional sanctions against 28 individuals involved in, inter alia, human rights violations, politically motivated trials, and state propaganda activities. Altogether, 261 individuals and 37 entities and bodies are currently subject to EU individual restrictive measures. The EU also leads efforts to ensure accountability for those responsible for human rights violations, at the UN and other international fora, and to support international initiatives to hold all perpetrators to account.

The EU remains united in its support to the brave people of Belarus, the Belarusian democratic movement, and civil society in their quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful Europe. Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU will provide support to stabilise its economy and reform its institutions, including through a Comprehensive Plan of Economic Support of up to EUR 3 billion. We will continue to ensure that the voices of the Belarusian people are heard.