EU Wants Belarus Investigation into Abuse in Detention Centres

The European Union calls on Belarus to thoroughly investigate reported abuses in detention centres and to hold those responsible to account.

 

EU foreign chief Josep Borrell is making this call after increasingly “shocking” reports of inhumane conditions and ill-treatment in detention centres. The EU delegation in Minsk has conveyed the message to the Belarusian authorities.

The EU is behind the “hundreds of thousands” of Belarusians who took to the streets on Sunday to demand the release of detainees and new presidential elections, Borrell writes. “The sheer numbers clearly show that the Belarusian population wants change, now.”

EU foreign ministers agreed on Friday to have a sanctions list drawn up of officials responsible for violence, suppression of peaceful protests and falsification of election results.

Borrell will inform government leaders at their scheduled summit on Belarus on Wednesday about the progress.

An end to violence, de-escalation and dialogue could lead the country out of the crisis, according to the EU.

Intervention from other countries is not helpful, is the message that the leaders want to send to Russia, according to insiders. The reason for this is that Moscow has responded positively to a request for support from Belarusian President Lukashenko.