‘We Believe In Democratic, Independent, And Sovereign Belarus’

Diplomats of four EU countries recalled the assistance to the Belarusian democracy.

The European Union condemns Lukashenka’s continued brutal oppression of Belarusians, and supports the country's democratic forces, European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter on the third anniversary of the 2020 presidential election. Poland and the Baltic countries issued a special appeal, and the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Zbigniew Rau, additionally addressed Belarusians with a speech, Zerkalo writes.

“Today marks the anniversary of the 2020 falsified and non-legitimate presidential elections in Belarus, followed by a draconian crackdown against human rights defenders and pro-freedom Belarusians.The European Union condemns Lukashenka’s continued brutal oppression and supports democratic forces in Belarus,” wrote Charles Michel.

The diplomats of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland declare support for the Belarusians, “remaining true to the commitment expressed in the historic slogan “For our freedom and yours”.

“Three years ago, on 9 August 2020, Aliaksandr Lukashenka proclaimed himself the winner of the rigged presidential election, thereby trampling on the democratic aspirations and rights of the Belarusian people. This criminal seizure of power by the illegitimate regime has since resulted in massive internal repression, complicity in the war crimes and the crime of aggression, rapid erosion of Belarus’ sovereignty, as well as destabilization of the region,” the four countries’ foreign ministries said in a statement.

Diplomats call to release political prisoners, to put an end to repressions and complicity in the Russian aggression, and promise to continue pressure on the Lukashenka regime.

“We believe in democratic, independent, and sovereign Belarus, as much as we believe in the victory of Ukraine. Our support to the people of Belarus, struggling for their freedom and dignity, will remain unwavering,” the statement says.

“Authoritarian regimes will fail, and the tyrants will be brought to justice. We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, for the cessation of repressions and of complicity in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. While the repressions, breaches of international law, ongoing instrumentalisation of migration or other crimes persist, we will continue isolating the criminal and illegitimate Lukashenko’s regime and strengthening the EU’s targeted and sectorial sanctions against it,” the last paragraph of the text says.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau gave a separate message: “The violence of the regime has hit a significant part of society. Mass arrests, beatings, intimidation and even murder are the authorities' response to the desire of citizens for a decent life. The Belarusian society, including the Polish minority, is deprived of the opportunity for normal development.”

According to Rau, in Poland, Belarusians can “develop their talents and entrepreneurship, although we understand that many of you wish to return home as soon as possible.”

“Poland supports your national hopes and European aspirations. We, the Poles, remember our own difficult history, so we understand perfectly well your desire to live in a free Belarusian state. I believe that you will be able to get your Homeland back,” said the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry.

On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus. According to human rights activists, the electoral process was held with multiple violations and was completely non-transparent. According to official data from the Belarusian CEC, 80.10% voted for Lukashenka, and 10.12% for Tsikhanouskaya.

Meanwhile, experts from the independent Golos platform analyzed data from polling station protocols and information sent by users of the platform and concluded that at least three million people, or 56% of voters, voted for Tsikhanouskaya, taking into account the real turnout.