“The document was approved by 567 votes “for”, 25 “against”, 66 “abstentions””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
The resolution strongly condemns the presidential elections scheduled for January 26 in Belarus, calling them a “fiction” due to the repressive environment and lack of democratic standards.
The document was approved by 567 votes “for”, 25 “against”, 66 “abstentions”.
“Condemning the ongoing and long-standing serious violations of human rights and democratic principles in Belarus, which have further intensified on the eve of the so-called presidential elections on January 26, the parliament asks the EU, its member states and the international community not to recognize the legitimacy of Lukashenka as president after the vote,” it says. in the document.
MEPs point out that, unlike in 2020, there are only formal “candidates” in this month’s elections.
MEPs are also seriously concerned about the situation of political prisoners in Belarus, of which, according to the Belarusian human rights organization “Vyasna”, there are more than 1,200. The resolution calls on the EU and its member states to continue investigating human rights violations in the country and to support measures to bring the perpetrators to justice. , including by applying the legal principle of “universal jurisdiction”.
The day before, the European Parliament held a debate on this resolution.
European Commissioner for Defense, former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius, in particular, emphasized that repression and violations of human rights, as well as the absence of any opposition candidates in the elections clearly do not ensure free and democratic voting in Belarus, which he called “so-called elections”.
Kubilyus called the decision of the Lukashenko regime not to invite OSCE observers as another proof of the lack of transparency of these elections.
Oleksandr Lukashenko, who has been in power in Belarus since 1994 and is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced at the beginning of last year his intention to run again in the presidential elections scheduled for January 26, 2025.
The democratic forces of Belarus have repeatedly stated that they will seek non-recognition of these elections by the international community. According to human rights defenders, elections in Belarus “no longer fulfill their functions, but are used by the authoritarian government to paint a positive picture of general support and thereby legalize authoritarian power.”
The previous elections, which took place in August 2020, were marked by the most massive protests in the entire history of independent Belarus. Large-scale repressions, to which the authorities resorted in response, continue to this day.