Belarus: Quote from MEP Staķis
Today, the European Parliament is expected to adopt a resolution on the need for actions to address the continued oppression and fake elections in Belarus. Greens/EFA MEP Mārtiņš Staķis (Progresīvie) from Latvia, shadow rapporteur on the text, comments on the situation in the country:
“Every day, 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus—teachers, students, journalists, parents—wake up in cells. Not for crimes, but for daring to dream of freedom. Among them is Dzmitry Kuchuk, leader of the dissolved Belarusian Green Party, who has been sentenced to six years in prison simply for standing up for his beliefs.
“Since the stolen election of 2020, Lukashenko’s regime has turned Belarus into a prison, crushing dissent with torture, blackmail, and fear. This regime is also complicit in Russia’s war crimes, including the kidnapping of Ukrainian children. We must hold the regime’s cronies accountable: freeze their assets and deny them visas. We also need to support the Belarusian people, especially the families of political prisoners. If we fail to act decisively, we send a green light to every dictator watching.”