European Parliament calls to impose targeted economic sanctions on Belarusian regime

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the situation in Belarus at the sitting on Thursday in Brussels.

The European Parliament calls on “the National Ice Hockey Federations of the EU Member States and all other democratic countries to urge the IIHF, including at its next Congress in May in Helsinki, Finland, to re-discuss its earlier decision envisaging the possibility of relocating the 2014 World Ice Hockey Championship from Belarus to another host country until all political prisoners, recognised by international human rights organisations as ‘prisoners of conscious’, are released”.

The resolution supports strengthening the restrictive measures applied to Belarus by the Council on March 23 and recommends the Council to take stock of the latest developments in EU-Belarus diplomatic relations and of the further deterioration of the human rights situation and extend targeted economic sanctions against the regime. The EP calls on the European Commission to support, with financial and political means, the efforts of Belarusian civil society, independent media and non-governmental organisations in Belarus, Interfax reports.

According to the resolution, a dialogue between the European Union and Belarus is impossible without progress by Belarus in terms of democracy, human rights and rule of law and until political prisoners are released and and their civil rights are fully rehabilitated.

The documents mentions the names of the prisoners that should be released first of all. They are head of Viasna human rights centre Ales Byalyatski, presidential candidates Mikalai Statkevich and Andrei Sannikov, election agents of opposition presidential candidates Pavel Sevyarynets and Zmitser Bandarenka, political prisoner Syarhei Kavalenka, who has been on a prolonged hunger strike, which has led to a critical deterioration in his health.

The resolution condemns the deterioration in the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country as well as the lack of deep democratic and economic reforms in Belarus.

The European Parliament promises to continue to oppose the repression of the regime’s opponents in Minsk.

MEPs condemned politically motivated persecution of human rights defenders and members of the democratic opposition and the harassment of civil society activists and the independent media in Belarus.

The resolution stresses the decision to withdraw all the ambassadors of the EU Member States from Belarus proves that the Belarusian authorities’ attempts to divide the European Union over decisions on sanctions have failed. The document also condemns the offensive rhetoric used by Alyaksandr Lukashenka vis-à-vis the German Foreign Minister.

MEPs stressed that “instead of choosing increasing self-isolation, Minsk should make the right choice for its people and open itself to democracy”.

MEPs deplored the execution of Uladzislau Kavalyou and Dzmitry Kanavalau, convicted for the Minsk metro bomb attack, in spite of international protests, and call on the Belarusian authorities to release the bodies of the executed men to their families and immediately impose a moratorium on the death penalty.

The document condemns decision of the Belarusian authorities to impose a travel ban on opposition members and human rights activists. Minsk was called to put an end to the practice that violates fundamental freedoms of citizens of Belarus.