US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke about political prisoners in Belarus and demanded their release. Otherwise, the sanctions against Minsk will remain, he said on Thursday, January 27.
“Since August 2020, the United States, in coordination with allies and partners, has imposed five rounds of sanctions against officials and supporters of the brutal Lukashenka regime. These sanctions will remain in place until the authorities end their ruthless repression of the Belarusian people, including through the unconditional release of all political prisoners,” Blinken said in a statement on the State Department website.
The American diplomat assures that political prisoners in Belarus are kept in terrible conditions, they are deprived of medical care only because they exercised their rights and were oppositionists to the current government. Blinken calls their release “a necessary step for Belarus to emerge from the political crisis.”
“We will continue to seek justice for the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable. We call on Belarus to fulfill its obligations as a member state of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and its international legal obligations to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the head of the State Department said.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on January 24 called the threat of the US State Department to impose sanctions against the republic “in a mentoring tone”. He said that Minsk does not need a war, but the Americans themselves and “by the hands of the Poles and Latvians” are pushing for these actions.
Relations between Belarus and Western countries deteriorated sharply after the presidential elections in the republic in the summer of 2020. They were won by Lukashenka, who, according to the CEC, won 80.1% of the vote. Mass protest actions of the opposition took place in the country. The Belarusian authorities have repeatedly stated that the protests are being coordinated from abroad. Lukashenka accused the West of direct interference in the situation in the republic, noted that the United States is directing the unrest, and the Europeans “play along” with them.
The European Union, Great Britain, the United States, Canada and a number of other countries gradually imposed sanctions against Belarusian officials, as well as enterprises, accusing Minsk of election violations and violations of human rights.
Also, relations between Minsk and Western countries were affected by the situation with migrants on the Belarusian-Polish border in early November 2021. In Poland, they announced a tough attack on the border for the first time in 30 years. European countries blame Minsk for the migration crisis, which denies any involvement in the increased flow of refugees.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
