What changed

B90116

B90103/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on theThe new wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members:members

(2024/2550(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions onRule Belarus,144,

having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas according to the NGO Viasna, in the context of the elections of the scheduled parliamentary and municipal elections on February 25 2024, since the 23 of January 2024 a new wave of repression against ex-political prisoners and their family is occurring and more than 160 persons had been arrested, questioned or had their homes searched; whereas according to Viasna, there are currently more than 1500 political prisoners in Belarus; whereas allegations of severe restriction of rights of detainees ill-treatments and torture;

whereas in January 2024 the Lukashenko regime unleashed a new wave of persecution, including intimidation and attacks on the families of political prisoners and prominent critical voices in Belarusian society; whereas human rights activists have confirmed at least 200 new arrests as a result of the recent repression; whereas at least 160 female family members have been detained, including Maryna Adamovich, wife of 2020 Sakharov Prize winner Mikalai Statkevich, Tatsiana Sieviaryniec, mother of imprisoned opposition leader Paval Sieviaryniec, and Darya Losik, wife of imprisoned activist Ihar Losik,

whereas following the presidential election in 2020 and the start of the war in Ukraine, the Belarusian authorities have prosecuted thousands of individuals; whereas the total ban of any opposition party in Belarus in consequence of the “law on political parties”, of February 2023

whereas the regime’s Investigative Committee has launched the so-called "special procedure", consisting of criminal investigation and trial in absentia, against 20 political analysts, journalists and sociologists, accusing them of providing support and expertise to the office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya,

whereas according to UNHCR the crackdown on civil society organizations continues, with as many as 900 NGOs being dissolved and 492 organizations forced to shut down to avoid criminal prosecution and the situation in Belarus has forced at least an estimated 300,000 persons to leave the country since May 2020;

whereas, as the Lukashenka regime prepares for the so-called "unified voting day" of parliamentary and local elections on 25 February 2024, many decent Belarusians are further being persecuted, such as the leader of the United Civil Party, Mikalai Kazlou, the leader of the BPF party, Ryhor Kastusiou who despite being diagnosed with cancer, was sent to prison,

Expresses deep concern at reports of human rights defenders, opposition leaders, activists, trade unionists, artists and journalists continue to be subjected to arbitrary detention and prosecution, violence and intimidation; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and all persons arbitrarily detained, arrested or sentenced on politically motivated grounds, and for all charges against them to be dropped;

whereas Lukashenka's government is trying to bring religious institutions under its control by closing churches and restricting religious freedoms, making Belarus the world’s second country with the highest number of imprisoned priests,

Condemns the new wave of repression in Belarus and denounces the fact that politically motivated trials are held behind closed doors and without due process, thereby breaching the country’s international obligations and commitments;

whereas the regime is continuing its persecution of national minorities, calling for an end to Polish language teaching in schools and intimidating teachers and students; whereas representatives of the regime are threatening more than 160 000 Pole's Card holders with repression,

Urges the authorities to comply with international standards and law regarding notably fair justice, proper medical evaluation and assistance, and access to lawyers and family for the persons in jail;

whereas the scale of human rights violations in Belarus is so great and their nature so brutal that, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, they can be defined as ‘crimes against humanity’.

Reminds the Belarusian authorities of their obligations to respect the human rights of all Belarusian citizens, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association;

Considers the taking of relatives of political prisoners hostage to be a particularly cynical and inhuman form of repression with signs of torture and demands immediate release of all the political prisoners and members of their families; calls for investigations by relevant international institutions and more frequent use of universal jurisdiction

Calls on the Belarusian authorities to reinstall and guarantee full democratic rights to Members and activists of political parties, trade unions and citizens movements and for enabling their participation in shaping the democratic life of the Belarus society;

Calls on EU governments and international institutions to provide support to the families of activists and political prisoners facing repression, to establish support mechanisms for those released from prison and to provide them with the necessary medical, psychological and legal aid,

Stresses that the documentation of grave abuses and accountability efforts for international crimes must be continued at the UN level with a reformed and strengthened OHCHR examination of the human rights situation in Belarus;

Callscalls forto anrenew endand topreserve the regime's persecutionmandate of minorities in Belarus,the toUN reviewSpecial andRapporteur reconsideron thehuman newrights Religionin LawBelarus to ensure that it compliescontinued withscrutiny Belarus'over internationalongoing human rights obligations,violations;

Reiterates its call for additional sanctions to be imposed on the Lukashenka regime and those personally responsible for serious human rights violations,

Expresses concern at the negative impact of the EU’s sanctions for the social and economic reality of a majority of the Belarusian people;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission,authorities theof HRVP,Belarus, the governments andEU parliamentsMember ofStates, the Member States,Council, UN,the IRC,Commission, the authoritiesVP/HR, ofthe BelarusEEAS and the Belarusian democratic forces.UN.