19 March 2024, Tuesday, 6:05
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Filip Kaczmarek: EU to extend sanctions against Lukashenka

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Totalitarian regimes understand only decisive measures, only tough and strong steps.

Former political prisoner Alyaksandr Atroshchankau and head of the NGO Assembly Syarhei Matskevich held some meetings in the European Parliament.

Belarusian representatives met with Filip Kaczmarek, the head of the EP Delegation for relations with Belarus, MEP Marek Migalski, MEP Werner Schulz's assistants, experts and human rights activists. Activists of Amnesty International, Libereko and other human rights groups focusing on Belarus as well as head of Office of Belarusian Political Emigration Yury Zhylko participated in the meetings.

Syarhei Matskevich and Alyaksandr Atroshchankau spoke about the situation of political prisoners in the country and urged the EU to put more efforts to release them.

“Pressure on political prisoners grows every days. People are being tortured,  kept incommunicado in horrible conditions. They cannot receive necessary medicines and clothes. We can say about the threat to the life of Mikalai Statkevich, Zmitser Dashkevich and Mikalai Dzyadok. All means, first of all economic sanctions, are needed to save and release them,” Alyaksandr Atroshchankau said.

Filip Kaczmarek, the head of the EP Delegation for relations with Belarus, said the EU began to understand that its current policy in relation to Belarus was ineffective and that more serious and decisive steps were needed.

“No serious contacts with Belarus are possible unless the situation of political prisoners is solved. The sanctions will be extended if they are not freed. Totalitarian regimes understand only decisive measures, only tough and strong steps. Soft measures don't work. If the European Union wants to have a decent role in the world politics, it should use not only soft policy, but also tougher measures,” Filip Kaczmarek said.

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