Today's sham election in Belarus has been neither free, nor fair. The people of Belarus deserve a real say in who governs their country. The relentless and unprecedented repression of human rights, restrictions to political participation and access to independent media in Belarus, have deprived the electoral process of any legitimacy. We urge the regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, over a thousand of whom are arbitrarily detained, including an employee of the Delegation of the European Union.
The regime's decision to invite the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights only 10 days before the elections, prevented this independent body from access to key stages of the election process. This is yet another proof of a total absence of credibility of these elections.
For these reasons, as well as the involvement of the Belarusian regime in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks against its neighbours, the EU will continue imposing restrictive and targeted measures against the regime, while financially supporting civil society, Belarusian democratic forces in exile, and Belarusian culture. Once Belarus embarks on a democratic transition, the EU is ready to support the country stabilise its economy and reform its institutions.
Democracy requires free, fair and transparent elections, taking place in a society where human rights prevail, without restrictions to freedom of assembly or speech and in which a pluralist media can operate freely. This is not the case in Belarus. The EU is on the side of the Belarusian people and our support in their quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus, as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe, is unwavering.
