合法博彩网站

叠10鈥�0055/2025

European 合法博彩网站 resolution on the need for actions to address the continued oppression and fake elections in Belarus

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合法博彩网站,

鈥�听having regard to its previous resolutions on Belarus,

鈥�听having regard to the Council conclusions of 12听October听2020 and 19听February听2024 on Belarus and to the European Council conclusions of 21 and 22听October听2021 on Belarus,

鈥�听having regard to the statements by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 26听February 2024 on parliamentary and local elections and of 1听August听2024 on the release of a number of political prisoners, and the statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU of 8听August听2023 on the third anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections,

鈥�听having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international human rights instruments to which Belarus is a party,

鈥�听having regard to the report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of 25听March听2024 on the situation of human rights in Belarus in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath,

鈥�听having regard to the resolution of the General Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) of 12听June听2023 concerning the measures recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the ILO Constitution on the subject of Belarus,

鈥�听having regard to Rule听136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.听whereas the 30-year authoritarian rule of Aliaksandr Lukashenka in Belarus has been characterised by systematic repression of political opponents and dissent, including the enforced disappearance of Lukashenka鈥檚 critics; whereas since the fraudulent presidential election of August听2020, the illegitimate Lukashenka regime has systematically repressed political activists, civil society, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, artists, religious leaders, trade unionists and other groups in Belarus and abroad, arbitrarily detaining tens of thousands of people;

B.听whereas according to the Human Rights Center 鈥榁iasna鈥�, over 1听250 political prisoners remain detained in Belarus in conditions that put their lives at risk, and many of these prisoners are in fragile health; whereas several political prisoners have died in custody, four of them in 2024 alone; whereas political prisoners face torture, denial of medical care, restricted access to visits from lawyers and family members, and solitary confinement; whereas since the summer of 2020, 3听697 people have been recognised as political prisoners; whereas in 2024 alone, at least 8听895 cases of politically motivated persecution were documented, including arrests, detentions, dismissals and other forms of repression targeting political prisoners, their families and lawyers, activists, journalists, priests, doctors, returning Belarusians and others;

C.听whereas multiple international organisations, including the OHCHR, have documented systematic human rights violations in Belarus, including torture, arbitrary detention, imprisonment or other severe deprivations of physical liberty, enforced disappearances, persecution on political grounds and the suppression of freedoms, which amount to crimes against humanity under international law; whereas in September听2024 Lithuania referred the situation in Belarus to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, asking it to investigate certain crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime;

D.听whereas this illegitimate regime plans to hold sham presidential elections on 26听January听2025, with Lukashenka seeking a seventh term; whereas no official missions from democratic countries will be observing the sham elections;

E.听whereas the election campaign has been marked by the detention of individuals involved in campaigning for opposition candidates in the 2020 presidential elections, and a clear readiness to harshly suppress dissent;

F.听whereas at least eight political prisoners are currently detained incommunicado: Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Ihar Losik, Maksim Znak, Mikalai Statkevich, Mikalai Bankou, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Andrei Navitski and Uladzimir Kniha; whereas Viktar Babaryka was detained incommunicado until very recently, while Maria Kalesnikava was held incommunicado for more than 600 days before November听2024;

G.听whereas the Lukashenka regime has stepped up pressure on the staff of Western diplomatic missions accredited in Belarus, as well as other foreigners; whereas Mikalai Khila, a local member of staff of the EU delegation to Belarus, was apprehended by the Belarusian KGB in front of the EU delegation office, held in pre-trial detention from April听2024 and sentenced, in December听2024, to four years of imprisonment; whereas he has been listed as a political prisoner by the Human Rights Center 鈥榁iasna鈥�; whereas two Japanese citizens were recently detained on trumped-up charges of 鈥榓gent activities鈥�;

H.听whereas Lukashenka pardoned over 200 political prisoners in 2024 in an attempt to lift some Western sanctions; whereas political arrests continue despite these pardons, with at least 1听721 individuals convicted on political charges in 2024 alone;

I.听whereas the Belarusian regime employs anti-extremism laws to obstruct media outlets, whereby most independent media have been labelled as 鈥榚xtremist鈥�, with at least 45 media representatives detained, around 400 in exile and others facing harassment and mistreatment; recognises the crucial role of independent media, such as Belsat TV, Nexta and others, in providing essential information and serving as a platform for democratic voices;

J.听whereas more than 500听000 Belarusians have been forced to flee the country since 2020, with some continuing to face persecution from the Lukashenka regime, including through trials in absentia, threats from the security forces and pressure on relatives, confiscation of property and other restrictions;

K.听whereas under Lukashenka, more than 250 people sentenced to death have been executed; whereas Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia to retain the death penalty, with its scope expanded in 2022 to include vaguely defined acts of terrorism and in 2023 to include 鈥榯reason against the state鈥�;

L.听whereas the Belarusian authorities employ surveillance, online censorship and disinformation, escalating digital authoritarianism and undermining the prospects for free and fair elections in 2025; whereas Belarusian propagandists regularly spread disinformation about EU Member States and their officials and suppress access to information;

M.听whereas the Lukashenka regime has proven to be instrumental to Putin by providing Russian forces with access to Belarusian territory in order to mount the full-scale invasion of Ukraine; whereas the Lukashenka regime commits crimes against Ukrainian children, including hosting re-education camps for political indoctrination and militarisation; whereas it assists attempts by Russia and others to destabilise the EU and undermine European aspirations among the EU鈥檚 neighbours, notably by weaponising migration at the EU鈥檚 borders and legitimising Bidzina Ivanishvili鈥檚 autocratic regime in Georgia;

N.听whereas the EU has imposed targeted sanctions on Belarus in response to the fraudulent 2020 elections, human rights violations, and Belarus鈥檚 complicity in Russia鈥檚 war of aggression against Ukraine, including trade restrictions and sanctions on 287 individuals, among them Lukashenka, and 39 entities;

O.听whereas the Lukashenka regime, with Russian assistance, circumvents some of these sanctions through preferential market access and the use of Russian infrastructure; whereas reports indicate that BelAZ, a sanctioned Belarusian producer of trucks, circumvents sanctions by disassembling trucks in Belarus and shipping the parts to the EU for reassembly under different logos;

1.听Calls for the EU, its Member States and the international community to categorically reject the upcoming election in Belarus, and the run-up campaign, as a sham, to not recognise the legitimacy of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president after 26听January听2025, and to do everything possible to ensure that free and fair elections can be held in Belarus;

2.听Reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained in Belarus for their political views, alongside compensation and the restoration of their rights; demands an end to the repression of political opponents and the Belarusian public;

3.听Expresses grave concern about the situation of political prisoners, including Maria Kalesnikava, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Ales Bialiatski, Mikalai Statkevich, Mikalai Khila, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Maksim Znak, Viktar Babaryka, Ihar Losik, Andrzej Poczobut, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, Uladzimir Matskevich, Marfa Rabkova, Uladzimir Labkovich, Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Yana Pinchuk, Mikalai Bankou, Andrei Navitski, Henrykh Akalatovich, Uladzimir Kniha and others, many of whom are facing severe health issues without access to proper medical care, and are enduring isolation, ill treatment and torture;

4.听Calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to investigate human rights abuses in Belarus and to support accountability measures, including through extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction; calls for the EU and its Member States to investigate, on the basis of universal jurisdiction, the crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime in Belarus and on EU territory and, following Lithuania鈥檚 example, to refer the situation in Belarus to the International Criminal Court for investigation to the extent possible, and to consider the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute the crimes of the Lukashenka regime; calls on the Member States to allow Belarusian lawyers expelled by the regime to practise on EU territory in order to provide legal assistance to persecuted Belarusians;

5.听Reiterates its calls on the Belarusian authorities to respect detainees鈥� rights, provide them with medical care, and grant them access to lawyers, their families and international organisations;

6.听Reiterates its call for the EU and the Member States to support political prisoners and their families, including by demanding proof of political prisoners鈥� whereabouts, requesting their release, simplifying the procedures for those fleeing Belarus to obtain visas and identity documents, and providing rehabilitation and other types of support;

7.听Stresses the importance of protecting exiled Belarusians from persecution by the Lukashenka regime, and of granting them opportunities to legally stay and work in the EU;

8.听Commends the resilience of Belarusian civil society and democratic forces; reiterates its solidarity with the people of Belarus and its support for their legitimate aspirations for a democratic and European future, and remains committed to working with Belarusian democratic forces, civil society and independent media for the benefit of the people of Belarus;

9.听Calls for the continuation of EU support for Belarusian democratic forces, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya; reiterates the need to support Belarusian democratic forces, civil society, students, journalists, leaders of trade unions, exiled professionals and others by providing them with visas, scholarships, grants and networking opportunities;

10.听Denounces the Lukashenka regime鈥檚 complicity in Russia鈥檚 war of aggression against Ukraine and condemns its deliberate subordination of Belarus to Russia in a so-called union state encompassing political, geopolitical, economic, military and cultural spheres; reiterates the need to contribute to strengthening Belarusian national identity and the Belarusian language, and to combat the falsification of Belarusian history by the Lukashenka regime and the Kremlin and its proxies;

11.听Urges the EU and its international partners to strengthen sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the repression in Belarus and for Belarus鈥檚 participation in Russia鈥檚 war of aggression against Ukraine, while closing sanctions loopholes; calls for the EU to sanction Belarusian entities and individuals responsible for the forced labour of political prisoners, as well as the goods produced through such forced labour;

12.听Calls on EU and Western companies to cease their activities in Belarus;

13.听Urges the EU and its international partners to immediately identify, freeze and consider confiscating sanctioned Belarusian assets, as well as the assets of entities and individuals leading Lukashenka鈥檚 so-called election campaign, including the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus;

14.听Urges Belarus to commute all death sentences, impose a moratorium on capital punishment and move towards its permanent abolition;

15.听Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission听/听High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the relevant EU institutions, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Japanese Government, representatives of the Belarusian democratic forces, and the Belarusian de facto authorities.

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