On the new wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members:
B-9-2024-0116
on behalf of the ECR Group · Rapporteur: Anna Fotyga, Karol Karski, Angel Dzhambazki, Ryszard Czarnecki, Assita Kanko, Bogdan Rzońca, Dominik Tarczyński, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Beata Mazurek, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Roberts Zīle, Witold Jan Waszczykowski, Elżbieta Rafalska, Adam Bielan, Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska, Eugen Jurzyca, Hermann Tertsch
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Parliament's motion for a resolution condemns the January 2024 wave of arrests in Belarus, including at least 200 new arrests and at least 160 detained female family members.¶ It demands the immediate release of all political prisoners and their families, and calls for international investigations and use of universal jurisdiction.¶ It asks EU governments and international institutions to support repressed families and released prisoners with medical, psychological and legal aid.¶ It calls for an end to persecution of minorities and a review of the new Religion Law, and reiterates its call for additional sanctions on the Lukashenka regime.¶¶
Key points
- In January 2024 the Lukashenko regime unleashed a new wave of persecution, with at least 200 new arrests and at least 160 female family members detained.¶
- The Investigative Committee launched a 'special procedure' of criminal investigation and trial in absentia against 20 political analysts, journalists and sociologists.¶
- As the regime prepares for the 'unified voting day' on 25 February 2024, figures such as Mikalai Kazlou and Ryhor Kastusiou are persecuted.¶
- The government is closing churches and restricting religious freedoms, making Belarus the world's second country with the highest number of imprisoned priests.¶
- The regime persecutes national minorities, calls for an end to Polish language teaching, and threatens more than 160 000 Pole's Card holders with repression.¶
- According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the scale and nature of human rights violations can be defined as 'crimes against humanity'.¶
- Parliament considers the taking of relatives of political prisoners hostage a cynical and inhuman form of repression and demands the immediate release of all political prisoners and their families.¶
- It calls for investigations by relevant international institutions and more frequent use of universal jurisdiction.
- It calls on EU governments and international institutions to support families of activists and political prisoners and to establish support mechanisms for those released from prison.¶
- It calls for an end to the regime's persecution of minorities and for review of the new Religion Law to ensure compliance with Belarus' international human rights obligations.¶
- It reiterates its call for additional sanctions on the Lukashenka regime and those personally responsible for serious human rights violations.¶
Who is affected
- Political prisoners and their family members in Belarus, who face repression and are demanded to be released.¶¶
- EU governments and international institutions, asked to support repressed families and released prisoners.¶
- National minorities in Belarus, including Polish speakers and Pole's Card holders, facing persecution.¶
- The Lukashenka regime and individuals responsible for human rights violations, targeted for additional sanctions.¶