Foreign Affairs Committee: The farce organised by the dictator of Belarus is not election

“Aleksandr Lukashenka, who has been governing Belarus with the support of the Russian regime for the past 30 years, is organising another election farce on 26 January in an attempt to embellish his dictatorial regime with a false mask of democracy, all the while repressing human and civil rights,” the Foreign Affairs Committee says in a Statement issued today.

The Foreign Affairs Committee recalls the Statement of the Riigikogu of 25 August 2020, and declares that it will also not recognise the upcoming sham elections, which will take place under the strict control of the regime. It also calls on organising free and democratic presidential elections in Belarus at the first opportunity under the supervision of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and other international organisations.

“The Foreign Affairs Committee calls on the international community to exert pressure on the Belarus regime to put an end to the repressions and to free the people imprisoned for expressing their views,” the Committee says in the Statement, adding that according to the Viasna Human Rights Centre, 1,256 political prisoners are currently illegally detained in Belarus because of their political views.

The Foreign Affairs Committee supports the statements of the European Parliament, the OSCE, and several national parliaments and governments of the European Union Member States that condemn the organisation of sham elections in an atmosphere of repression and intimidation, and in violation of all international legal provisions.

“The Foreign Affairs Committee expresses its support to the people of Belarus in their fight for a free, democratic, and dignified future, and calls on continuing active international cooperation on all levels to support democracy, civil society, and free press in Belarus,” the Committee says in the Statement.

The Foreign Affairs Committee issued the Statement at its today’s sitting where the developments in Belarus were discussed with the representative of the Embassy of Estonia in Lithuania.

The Statement of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu in Estonian and English

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Foreign Affairs Committee: The farce organised by the dictator of Belarus is not election

Source: Parliament of Estonia