Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland released a joint statement on 9 August to mark three years since Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko retained power through elections that were allegedly rigged.
According to the statement issued by Poland and Baltic countries, Lukashenko declared himself the winner of the rigged presidential election three years ago, infringing on the democratic aspirations and rights of the Belarusian people.
Today marks three years since the fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) August 9, 2023
During this time, Belarusian society has repeatedly expressed its will to live in a free and democratic state.
Poland 🇵🇱 supports the European aspirations of Belarus. pic.twitter.com/fZxTrOazrW
Poland, Baltic Nations Condemn Lukashenko Regime’s Actions
According to the statement, this criminal seizure of power by the illegitimate regime has resulted in extensive internal repression, involvement in war crimes and the crime of aggression, rapid decline in Belarus’ sovereignty, and regional destabilisation.
The massive electoral fraud provoked an unprecedented increase of peaceful protests by Belarusians demanding the right to choose their future. As a result, Belarusian authorities launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters, as mentioned in the statement.
In the statement, the Baltic nations and Poland indicate that despite the world community’s unequivocal criticism, Lukashenko’s government has continued its “inhumane repression” for three years. Human rights advocates, journalists, trade unionists, media workers, attorneys, and citizens who criticise the system are considered radicals and terrorists and are persecuted, blackmailed, and imprisoned.
It further alleges that national minority associations have also been suppressed, and schools teaching national minority languages have been closed. Political prisoners, who now number around 1,500, are subjected to brutal treatment, including torture, and many are kept isolated from any means of communication for months.
Belarus Supporting Russia in Ukraine War
The statement outlined that the Lukashenko regime has been an “accomplice and direct supporter” of Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified” attack against Ukraine since February 2022.
“Ignoring the will of the vast majority of the Belarusian people, the regime grants Moscow full political and logistical support, allows it to use the Belarusian territory as a launchpad for its missiles, for the deployment of nuclear weapons, and recently accepted to host thousands of criminal Wagner mercenaries on its soil,” the statement added.
Furthermore, it states that Lukashenko’s government is an accomplice in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, thus making it directly involved in the war crime that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is prosecuting.
The EU imposed sanctions on several Belarus police, justice and prison officials over a crackdown on anti-government activists, and on media personnel and a company accused of supporting Russia's war on Ukraine.https://t.co/QALoYW1vv4
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) August 3, 2023
Belarus a ‘Hotspot of Destabilisation’
During the last three years, Belarus has gradually transformed into “hotspot of destabilisation in the heart of Europe,” posing a rising threat to international peace and security. As outlined in the statement, the Lukashenko dictatorship in Belarus continues to organise and contribute to actions that allow third-country people to illegally cross the EU’s external borders.
The countries asserted that “we continue to stand with its people, staying true to the commitment expressed in the historic motto ‘For our Freedom and Yours.’”
They also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and Belarusian citizens, saying, “We believe in democratic, independent, and sovereign Belarus, as much as we believe in the victory of Ukraine. Our support to the people of Belarus, struggling for their freedom and dignity, will remain unwavering.”
Finally, Poland and the Baltic countries indicated that they would continue to isolate the “criminal and illegitimate Lukashenko regime” and exacerbate the EU’s targeted sanctions as long as the repressions, violations of international law, the ongoing instrumentalisation of migration, or other crimes continue.