On Monday 27 January, the EU, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand condemned the previous day’s “presidential election sham” in Belarus and the “appalling human rights violations” perpetrated by the Belarusian regime. Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has been re-elected for a seventh term.
“No election can be considered free, fair or in line with international standards when it is held in a climate of ongoing repression, marked by a clampdown on...