Thank you, Mr Chair.
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the following participating States, who are members of the Informal Group of Friends of Democratic Belarus: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, and my own country, Iceland.
The following participating States are also joining this statement: Albania, Austria, Liechtenstein and Moldova.
August 9 marked four years since the fraudulent presidential election in Belarus. Despite the lack of a democratic mandate from his country's citizens, Aleksandr Lukashenko declared himself the winner and ensconced himself for a sixth term in office. Authorities responded to the peaceful protests that sprung up across the country with widespread and brutal crackdowns. Security forces arrested and imprisoned thousands of Belarusians, including mothers and fathers, teachers, students, tradespeople, human rights defenders, journalists, pensioners, and others, many of whom reported being subjected to torture and ill-treatment. Those demanding new, free and fair elections are labelled "extremists" and, according to the amendments to the Criminal Code, may even face the death penalty.
In the four years since that fateful day, Belarusian authorities have only intensified the repression that has accompanied Lukashenko's complete disregard for democratic principles and the will of the people. Authorities have unjustly detained tens of thousands of Belarusian citizens, simply for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms. According to Human Rights Center Viasna, Belarus has convicted at least 5,400 people in politically motivated criminal cases. Despite some recent releases, approximately 1,400 political prisoners remain behind bars, although the real number is likely much higher. Since July 11, when a group of 38 participating States invoked the Vienna Mechanism to inquire about the conditions of detained prisoners, Belarus has refused to provide any response to the questions raised. Belarus has also failed to comply with the recommendations of the 2020 and 2023 Moscow Mechanism expert missions' reports.
Mr Chair, we call for the immediate and unconditional release of the roughly 1,400 political prisoners and a large-scale reform of existing laws to end systemic political repression in Belarus. We call on the Belarusian authorities to fully implement their international obligations and OSCE commitments, including by taking all necessary steps to create conditions for free, fair, and democratic elections. We also urge them to implement the recommendations in the 2023 Moscow Mechanism report, including but not limited to:
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Bringing criminal and administrative codes into full compliance with international obligations and commitments; and
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Repealing laws targeting independent organizations and media for political purposes.
In the meantime, we will continue to speak out about the horrible repression taking place in Belarus, engage with Belarusian civil society to promote accountability for human rights violations, and support international efforts to hold the perpetrators to account. The Belarusian people's refusal to be muzzled and their continued call - even at great personal risk - for democratic elections and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are a testament to their strength, bravery, and resilience.
