European Parliament Approved Draft Resolution On Situation in Belarus
- 7.10.2021, 10:01
The voting is scheduled for October 7.
On October 6th the European Parliament approved a draft resolution on the situation in Belarus, which condemns the repression and violence of the Belarusian regime and expresses support to Belarusians, peacefully fighting for a free and democratic country, reports Radio Svaboda.
In particular, the draft resolution:
condemns "the repression against the peaceful population of Belarus, torture and ill-treatment, repression against the media and the Internet, as well as beatings, arrests and intimidation of journalists, bloggers and other independent individuals in Belarus."
condemns "the political trials and harsh and unjust verdicts recently delivered to Maryja Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak«;
condemns the crackdown on the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and calls for the immediate and unconditional release and dropping of all charges against Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stsefanovich, Marfa Rabkova, Andrei Chapiuk, Leanid Sudalenka, Tatsiana Lasitsa and Maryja Tarasenka along with volunteers from "Viasna";
"condemns the repression and hostile actions of the authorities against members of the Polish minority and Polish schools in the country; in this connection, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Anzhalika Borys, journalist Andrzej Poczobut and other political prisoners."
"calls for unconditional support for the Belarusian democratic opposition in organizing free and fair elections under international control."
"considers the hijacking and forced landing of the Ryanair flight FR4978 in Minsk an act of state terrorism."
"calls on the European Council to agree on a "comprehensive and strategic approach to sanctions against the Belarusian regime, which should include a transition from a stepwise approach to a more determined approach to sanctions.
"regrets that the economic sanctions imposed have only partially affected the Lukashenka regime and have not had much effect on important sectors such as potash and oil products; calls on the European Council to strengthen further the targeted EU economic sanctions, focusing on key sectors of the Belarusian economy and on state and private companies that support and finance the Lukashenka regime;
calls on EU member states to declare Belarusian KGB officers collectively personae non grata within the territory of the European Union;
"invites EU member states to recall their ambassadors from Minsk for consultations as a political signal to the Lukashenka regime and deny Belarusian diplomats accreditation in the EU."
stresses "the urgency of exposing Russia's support of Lukashenka's violence against the people of Belarus, as well as its involvement in the Lukashenka regime's hybrid actions against the EU, including the use of migrants for political purposes";
condemns contacts "between Lukashenka and Putin to prepare action plans for deepening integration between Belarus and Russia, including the progressive militarization of Belarus, and considers this a violation of Belarusian sovereignty";
"appreciates the systematic and consistent work of the Belarusian democratic forces in Belarus and in exile, in particular of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Coordinating Council and the National Anti-Crisis Management."
"calls on the EU to cooperate at an operational level with representatives of the democratic forces in Belarus to finalize the action plan aimed at implementing a comprehensive 3 billion euro economic support scheme for a future democratic Belarus."
"calls to consider submitting the case of Belarus to the International Court of Justice on the basis of the Chicago Convention, the Montreal Convention and the Convention against Torture."
"repeats its call for a targeted EU assistance program to help civil society, independent media, academic circles and the Belarusian opposition in exile, as well as victims of political repression and police violence and those fleeing the repressive regime."
calls on EU Member States "to simplify further the visa and residence procedures for those fleeing Belarus for political reasons or for those seeking medical treatment as a result of violence."
The vote on the draft resolution, signed by four factions of the European Parliament, is scheduled for October 7.