Parliament urges authorities in Belarus to cease the mistreatment of former presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka and other political prisoners and release them immediately and unconditionally. MEPs strongly condemn the “inhumane treatment of political prisoners and their family members” in the country and call on Belarus to ensure that those detained have access to proper medical assistance, lawyers, family, diplomats and international organisations to assess their condition and provide aid.
Mr Babaryka was sentenced in July 2021 to 14 years in prison on politically motivated charges, and was hospitalised in April this year with traces of beatings leaving him in need of surgery. As part of the repression of the political opposition and civil society, the Belarusian regime is keeping around 1500 political prisoners in detention conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and torture, with some of them dying in detention, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
MEPs reiterate their solidarity with the people of Belarus in their struggle for a free, sovereign and democratic government and against Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. They reiterate their call from a resolution adopted on 15 March for the EU and member states to broaden the sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for the repression in Belarus, and to hold all perpetrators of the systematic human rights violations under the regime of dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka accountable.
The text was adopted by 533 votes in favour, 9 against and 27 abstentions.
