The severe situation of political prisoners in Belarus

In this non-legislative resolution stating Parliament's political position, Parliament addresses the situation of political prisoners in Belarus and demands that the Belarusian authorities immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and arbitrarily detained persons. It expresses utmost concern about the conditions of named political prisoners, notes that many of the 1,350 political prisoners in Belarus face life-threatening conditions, and urges the authorities to respect detainees' human rights, provide medical treatment and allow access for lawyers, families and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It calls on the EU and its Member States to support political prisoners and their families, to broaden and strengthen sanctions against those responsible for repression, and to work toward holding the Lukashenka regime accountable, including through universal jurisdiction. The text also calls on Serbia to refrain from extraditing a Belarusian journalist and instructs the President to forward the resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, Member States, Serbia and other international bodies. Parliament adopted the resolution on 2024-09-19.