Photo: aa.com.tr
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrel, made a statement on the occasion of the next anniversary of mass protests in Belarus, which began after the presidential elections on August 9, 2020 due to the falsification of their results.
“Four years ago, on August 9, residents of Belarus took to the streets to peacefully protest against the falsification of the presidential elections and Lukashenka’s attempt to deprive them of the right to decide their future. Since then, despite the brutal repression, the Belarusian people have repeatedly and courageously defended their human rights and the democratic future of their country,” the statement says.
The document reports that the Lukashenka regime responded to the protests in Belarus with a massive campaign of violence and intimidation, which resulted in thousands of citizens being imprisoned. Borrel recalled that at least six Belarusian political prisoners died in custody, and many of them are being held in conditions of information isolation. On behalf of the European Union, he called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and unjustly detained in Belarus.
The statement notes that the sovereignty and identity of Belarus are under increasing threat. In addition to large-scale internal repression, the Lukashenka regime has become an accomplice in Russia’s illegal aggressive war against Ukraine, and has also organized migration pressure on the external borders of the European Union.
