General documents - Statement on the politically motivated trials in Belarus - Delegation for relations with Belarus

Joint Statement by:

· the Chair of the Delegation for relations with Belarus, MEP Juozas OLEKAS, and

· the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur for Belarus, MEP Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS

on the politically motivated trials of democratic forces and civil society figures in Belarus

Brussels, 23 January 2023 - "Wecondemn in the strongest terms the trial in abstentia that started last week against leaders of the Belarusian democratic forces. The Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is widely considered to be the real winner of the 2020 presidential election is being tried alongside figures of the Coordination Council - Maryia Damoz, Volha Kavalkova, Pavel Latushka and Siarhei Dyleuski on trumped-up charges of "inciting hatred" and creating "extremist groups". All five of them went into self-exile during the deadly crackdown on the mass protests triggered by electoral fraud and by Aliaksandr Lukashenka's refusal to concede his defeat and relinquish power.

Similarly, we are gravely concerned by the on-going, politically motivated trials of Sakharov Prize and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aleś Bialiatski, who devoted his entire life to promoting democratic change in Belarus, of two members of his Viasna human rights centre, Valyantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich, and of journalist and activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus, Andrzej Poczobut.

There is no doubt that these sham trials aim to instigate fear, silence independent voices and close all remaining space for a genuine political debate in Belarus.