EP calls on Belarus to release Lukashenko regime critic Statkevich and other political prisoners

RIGA - The European Parliament (EP) demands that Belarus immediately and unconditionally release Mikalai Statkevich, a critic of Alexander Lukashenko's regime, and all 1,500 political prisoners, the EP's press secretary in Latvia Janis Krastins told LETA.

The EP adopted a resolution on human rights in Belarus on Thursday, addressing the uncertainty surrounding Statkevich's situation and the recent attacks on family members of politicians and activists. The resolution was adopted by 489 votes to 7, with 42 abstentions.

Statkevich, a former presidential candidate and 2020 Sakharov Prize laureate, is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence on politically motivated charges and his health is deteriorating as he is being held in solitary confinement.

MEPs strongly condemn the unjustified and politically motivated sentences imposed by the regime of Belarusian dictator Lukashenko and insist that the country's political prisoners be given proper medical care and access to lawyers, families, diplomats and international organizations able to assess their situation and provide assistance.

The EP also calls on the European Union and its Member States to increase pressure on the Minsk regime by imposing new sanctions and reiterates its call for those who have committed human rights violations and war crimes in Belarus to be brought to justice.

LETA already reported that Statkevich is one of the most prominent members of the Belarusian opposition. He ran in the 2010 presidential elections, which were won, unsurprisingly, by Lukashenko, who has been in power in Belarus since 1994.