European Parliament: Fight Against Lukashenka Regime Is Common Cause

MEPs have called for firmness in implementing sanctions against the illegitimate authorities.

The European Parliament has issued a special statement to commemorate the second anniversary of the Belarusian revolution.

"It pains to see that since then the people of Belarus have been subjected to systematic repression in its worst forms," reads the statement.

It points out that "the regime is suppressing the expression of any critical voices" while Lukashenka himself "has sold most of his country's sovereignty to Kremlin sponsors" - as a consequence, Belarus has grown into a "Russian military zone".

"Recent events show that the fight against the illegitimate, dangerous Lukashenka regime is not just an internal matter for Belarusians: it is also our concern, as it poses a clear threat to our entire continent," the statement said.

The MEPs mentioned the migration crisis on the border between Belarus and the EU countries and the forced landing of the Ryanair airline in Minsk as an example.

They also reminded that at the moment there are almost 1300 political prisoners in Belarus, some of them were jailed when they were still minors. There are currently 30 journalists in custody. About 900 non-governmental organizations, as well as independent trade unions, have been or are being liquidated and 60 lawyers have had their licenses revoked.

The MEPs called on the Belarusian authorities to "release immediately and unconditionally and drop all charges against all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained persons and demand an immediate end to the violence and repression.

The MEPs also called on the international community "to show firmness in implementing sanctions against the illegitimate Lukashenka regime," because "the courageous people of Belarus are part of the European family".