A few days after the announcement of the support of 19 countries, including 13 EU Member States (see EUROPE 12685/28), for the ‘International Accountability Platform’ for Belarus, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, also gave the EU’s support on Friday 26 March.
The EU supports, politically and, once preparations are finalised, also financially, this “independent and impartial platform for the collection, verification and preservation of documentation and evidence of serious human rights violations perpetrated in Belarus during and after the August 2020 presidential election”, Mr Borrell explained in a statement.
Since the “fraudulent presidential election”, the Belarusian authorities have committed “unacceptable” human rights violations against the Belarusian people and those responsible must be held accountable, he insisted.
The High Representative also welcomed the adoption on 24 March by the UN Human Rights Council of a resolution establishing a special mechanism under the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor the human rights situation in Belarus and to conduct a comprehensive review of violations committed since 1 May 2020.
“This mechanism will benefit from the documentation secured by the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, among others, and contribute to accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims”, explained Mr Borrell. The first report is due in September.
On Thursday 25 March, the spokesperson of the European External Action Service denounced a new escalation of repression, in particular against the Union of Poles in Belarus.
After the arrest and 15-day prison sentence of the new president of this Union, Andżelika Borys, on 23 March, the journalist and member of the board of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andrzej Poczobut was arrested on 25 March. The organisation’s offices were searched throughout the country, and new criminal charges were brought against the Union’s leaders. The spokesperson called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ms Borys and Mr Poczobut. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)