The EU marked the third anniversary of the fraudulent elections in Belarus on 9 August 2020 with a statement by its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell describing the situation as worse for those who dare to voice any criticism of the regime.
According to the statement, there are close to 1 500 political prisoners incarcerated in appalling conditions, exposed to ill-treatment and torture, without access to essential health services. Many of these prisoners have been kept for months without contact with their lawyers and relatives who do not know their current whereabouts and health condition
The EU referred also to the latest report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights which stated that some of the “widespread, systematic, and gross human rights violations in Belarus may amount to crimes against humanity”.
Anaïs Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus, told recently the UN Human Rights Council that she was “particularly concerned that anti-war actions (has) led to numerous detentions and arrests, some on charges of planning terrorist attacks—a crime that can now be punished by death.”
The EU also accuses the Belarusian regime of having surrendered its sovereignty by becoming an accomplice in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This complicity has allowed the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia to Belarusian territory and the deployment of Russian nuclear warheads on its territory.
Furthermore, the recent deployment in Belarus of mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group and the joint military drills with them have a destabilizing effect on the region and risk further undermining Belarus’ sovereignty, according to the EU statement.
Up to now, the EU has adopted seven rounds of sanctions against Belarus, including its president Lukashenko, following the fraudulent elections in August 2020. Most of the rounds aimed at stopping the suppression in the country and putting pressure on the regime to start a dialogue with the opposition.
The latest sanctions were adopted by the Council last week in response to Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The new measures expanded a ban on exports to Belarus to a number of highly sensitive goods and technologies which contribute to Belarus’s military and technological enhancement.
The Council also imposed an additional export ban on firearms and ammunition, and on goods and technology suited for use in aviation and the space industry. The changes also align the Belarus sanctions with the Russia sanctions regime.
Besides sending “a signal that the EU continues to be fully engaged in support to human rights and democracy” in Belarus, the sanctions have apparently failed as the internal repression is “constantly worsening”.
After the first three rounds of sanctions were adopted, a Commission spokesperson commented in January 2021 that the sanctions are an open-ended process and that it will take more time for them to have an effect.
According to media reports, Iran is planning to establish a facility in Belarus for the production of drones. Asked on Tuesday about possible new sanctions against Belarus in response to its growing involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Peter Stano, EU’s lead spokesperson for foreign affairs, replied that he could not preempt future sanctions.
“The sanctions are reviewed constantly,” he explained. They are discussed in confidentiality by the EU member states and a decision requires consensus. That said, he did not exclude that the member states will decide on new targeted measures if the reports on drone production in Belarus are confirmed. Iran has already been sanctioned for supplying drones to Russia but these sanctions have not had any effect.
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
