The OSCE Has Demanded The Release Of All Political Prisoners In Belarus
2- 18.09.2026, 10:26
Thirty-eight countries endorsed the statement.
The United Kingdom and 37 OSCE countries called for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus and an end to the repression of civil society, independent media, and opposition figures. Statement on September 17 was published by the British Foreign Office.
The UK Foreign Office spoke on behalf of the members of the informal group of Friends of a Democratic Belarus: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and my country, Denmark. Albania, Austria, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, North Macedonia, San Marino, and Slovakia have also joined this statement.
As noted in the statement, following the presidential election in August 2020, the people of Belarus took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to demand democracy and protest the rigged results. However, in response, “the Lukashenko regime launched a brutal and systematic crackdown on peaceful protests.” Since then, the statement emphasizes, little has changed: “Belarusian authorities have continued to systematically suppress fundamental freedoms and persecute those perceived as critics of the government”.
“Moreover, Belarus’s support for Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as its use of illegal migration and hybrid activities against its neighbors, once again underscores its disregard for international peace and security, as well as its obligations to the OSCE,” the statement reads.
“While welcoming the release of several hundred political prisoners, we remain deeply concerned about the ongoing politically motivated arrests and prosecutions.
As a result, the number of individuals detained for political reasons has once again begun to rise.
Release from prison does not necessarily put an end to repression. Former political prisoners face deportation, constant surveillance, restrictions, and the risk of renewed prosecution, while repression is increasingly being extended to Belarusians in exile and their families.
We remain deeply concerned by reports of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in places of detention, including prolonged solitary confinement and inadequate access to medical care. This vicious cycle of imprisonment and persecution must be brought to an end.
We once again call for the immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners and urge the Belarusian authorities to end the campaign of repression. Those responsible must be held accountable.
Six years later, the courage and democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people remain undiminished. We firmly stand with the people of Belarus in their quest for a free, democratic, and independent country.
“We sincerely hope that the coming year will bring tangible progress so that we can speak of substantial improvements rather than raising the same issues again,” the statement reads.
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