Plenary Session: Recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the VP/HR on relations with Belarus

Recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the VP/HR on relations with Belarus (A9-0167/2020 - Petras Auštrevičius)

I voted in favour of this report, which suggests a set of important and urgent recommendations on how the European Union (EU) should reassess its relations with Belarus.

We demand an immediate end to violence and illegal detentions and insist on the prompt and unconditional release and the withdrawal of all charges against human rights defenders, activists, journalists and any other person arbitrarily detained or sentenced in retaliation for having exercised their civil and political rights. We also call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture. Although the EU has finally imposed sanctions, the most important thing now is to review its policy towards Belarus, focusing particularly on supporting civil society and the Belarusian people.

The EU cannot be a bystander: concrete measures must now be taken to prevent Russia's hybrid or direct intervention in Belarus. We call on the German Presidency of the Council to conduct diplomatic efforts to avoid any Russian interference and to support the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people.

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