EU recalls Belarus' involvement in war in Ukraine ahead of anniversary of rigged elections

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has affirmed the EU's disapproval of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus and called for the release of all political prisoners.

The EU's top diplomat recalled the large-scale protests against election fraud in Belarus, to which the Lukashenko regime "responded with a massive campaign of violence and intimidation against its own people".

"There are currently around 1,400 political prisoners in detention. These are only a fraction of the thousands of people who have been imprisoned and released for political reasons since 2020," Borrell recalled, noting that at least six political prisoners have died in Belarusian prisons.

Borrell also noted that Lukashenko's regime is an accomplice in Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, as a result of which "Belarusian sovereignty and identity are increasingly under threat".

The European Union has therefore imposed a number of sanctions against the Belarusian regime and its supporters, which have already been applied to 261 individuals and 37 legal entities.

"The EU remains united in its support for the brave people of Belarus, the Belarusian democratic movement and civil society in their quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful Europe," Borrell stated.

After news broke of the historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya drew attention to her associates who are still behind bars in Belarus.

In early July, Belarus announced the release of several political prisoners who are seriously ill.