Belarus: We need sanctions against leaders and help for civil society

The EPP Group in the European Parliament calls for sanctions against Belarusian President Lukashenko and the leaders of Belorusian law enforcement services. It also pushes for renewed EU help programmes in support of the civil society.

"The hostile acts of the law enforcement services towards Belarusians and the falsification of the elections must have consequences. We need targeted sanctions against President Lukashenko, his environment and the leadership of law enforcement services involved in the repression of the Belarusian people.  We also need to relaunch targeted EU help programmes in support of the Belarusian civil society, the repressed persons and their families", say senior EPP members of the European Parliament

"The Belarusians have clearly rejected president Lukashenko’s rule. The long queues in front of polling stations in many parts of the country confirm that the citizens of Europe’s last dictatorship want change. They have the right to protest and to publicly express their anger because of this stolen victory. We call on president Lukashenko to stop the repression of peaceful protesters, and on Russia to refrain from any interference. The European Union must continue to support the democratic aspirations of Belarus as it has done for many years now”, says Sandra Kalniete MEP, Vice-chair of the EPP Group.

Read here the full statement of Manfred Weber, Sandra Kalniete, David McAllister, Andrius Kubilius, Michael Gahler, Miriam Lexmann, Andrzej Halicki and Radosław Sikorski.