EU NEIGHBOURS . On 11 August, EU High Representative Josep Borrell issued a statement on behalf of the EU on the recent presidential elections in Belarus.
“The EU has been following the developments leading to the presidential elections closely,” he said. “During the electoral campaign, the people of Belarus have demonstrated the desire for democratic change.”
“However, the elections were neither free nor fair,” highlighted the statement, referring to the violence used by state authorities after the election day that caused at least one death and many injuries.
“Thousands of people were detained and the crackdown on freedoms of assembly, media and expression intensified,” added Mr Borrell, calling on the Belarusian authorities to release all detainees.
Read also
“It is against this background that we will be assessing the Belarusian authorities’ actions to address the current situation and conducting an in-depth review of the EU’s relations with Belarus,” Mr Borrell underlined. “This may include, inter alia, taking measures against those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified arrests, and falsification of election results.”
“We call on Belarusian political leadership to initiate a genuine and inclusive dialogue with broader society to avoid further violence,” concluded the statement, adding that the EU will continue to support a democratic, independent, sovereign, prosperous and stable Belarus.
