Alexander Lukashenko
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On Thursday, September 17, members of the European Parliament (EP) have demanded to hold new presidential elections in Belarus, as well as impose EU sanctions on Alexander Lukashenko and those responsible for the launch of Alexei Navalny in Russia, BNN informs EP spokesman Jānis Krastiņš.
Situation in Belarus
The European Parliament on Thursday rejected the results of the so-called “presidential elections” in Belarus on 9 August by 574 votes to 37, with 82 abstentions, on the grounds that they were “conducted in clear violation of all internationally recognized standards.” When Alexander Lukashenko’s term as president expires on November 5, the European Parliament will no longer recognize him as president of Belarus, MEPs stress.
The EP welcomes the establishment of the Coordination Council and recognizes it as “a temporary representation of people demanding democratic change in Belarus”. They also reiterate their calls for new, free and fair elections under international supervision as soon as possible.
EU sanctions against the authoritarian regime and its leaders
MEPs call for EU sanctions against those responsible for the falsification and repression of election results in Belarus, including Alexander Lukashenko, and for EU Member States to implement these sanctions without delay and in close cooperation with international partners.
MEPs also strongly condemn the Belarussian authorities for their violent repression of peaceful protesters, demonstrators and journalists, and note that hundreds of reports of torture, rape and ill-treatment of detainees come from Belarusian prisons and detention centers.
The contribution of Belarusian women
In the resolution, MEPs commend the significant contribution made by Belarusian women to the protests, with particular reference to their leaders, Svetlana Tikhanovska, Veronika Cepkalo and Maria Kolesnikov. They also mention that many Belarusians consider Svetlana Tikhanovska to be the winner of the presidential election and the elected president of Belarus.
The EP also calls for the immediate release of the arrested members of the Steering Board and all those arbitrarily detained for political reasons.
The situation in Russia and the attempt to poison Alexei Navalny
In another resolution adopted on Thursday, with 532 votes in favor, 84 against and 72 abstentions, Parliament strongly condemned the assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny in Russia and expressed serious concern at the recent use of neuroparasitic chemicals against Russian citizens. The text indicates that used Newbie The group ‘s venom can only be developed in state – owned military laboratories and cannot be purchased by a private individual, so it is quite likely that the Russian authorities could have ordered the attack.
MEPs stressed that Navalny’s assassination attempt was part of a systemic effort to intimidate and silence him and other dissidents, in particular with a view to influencing Russia’s local and regional by-elections on 11-13 September. They recall that the case of Alexei Navalny is just one element of a broader Russian policy of repressive domestic politics and aggressive action around the world.
Also read: Two more laboratories in Europe confirm the poisoning of Navalny with Newbie
Request for international investigations and EU sanctions
MEPs call for an immediate international inquiry into the Navalny case and violations of Russia’s international chemical weapons commitments, and call on the Russian authorities to cooperate fully in the investigation and bring those responsible to justice.
They also call on the EU Member States to take a proactive stance on this issue by drawing up a list of ambitious restrictive measures against Russia as soon as possible and also to strengthen existing sanctions against Russia. The European Parliament calls for sanction mechanisms to collect and freeze the European assets of corrupt individuals, in line with the findings of the Alexei Navalny Anti-Corruption Fund.
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