Joint statement by:
- the Chair of the Delegation for relations with Belarus, MEP Juozas OLEKAS and
- the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Belarus, MEP Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS
on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus
Brussels, 21 May 2024 - Today, on the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus, we stand in solidarity with more than 35,000 people and their families who have been illegally arrested by the Belarusian regime since August 2020 in a crackdown against political opponents, brutally beaten in custody and kept illegally in Belarusian detention facilities in horrendous conditions, exposed to torture and inhuman treatment, deprived of food, water, sleep, and personal hygiene.
On this day three years ago - on 21 May 2021 - Vitold Ashurak, political and environmental activist, detained for his participation in 2020 protests, died in prison from an unidentified cause. Since then, at least six more political prisoners have lost their lives in Belarusian prisons: Mikalai Klimovich, Ales Pushkin, Vadzim Khrasko, Ihar Lednik, Aliaksandr Kulinich and Dmitry Dudoit.
Today, still more than 1,400 citizens who dared to oppose the regime in Belarus, remain imprisoned, with no access to proper medical care and denied contacts with families and lawyers. Five prominent opposition figures - Ales Bialiatski, Maryia Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka, Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Mikalai Statkevich have been held in solitary confinement for more than one year, in blunt violation of Belarus's obligations under international law.
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We strongly condemn the recent raids and the seizure of property belonging to 104 opposition activists who have left the country.
We reiterate our call on the EU and its Member States to continue working tirelessly towards the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners kept in Belarusian detention facilities. We encourage continued support for the families of political prisoners and for released political prisoners.
The EU must maintain its principled and values-based policy line and further strengthen and extend its sanctions against the Lukashenka's regime for its human rights violations and for its active support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. It is of the utmost importance that Lukashenka, his enablers and accomplices are held accountable for their crimes.
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Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP