The European Union, as well as the United States, Great Britain and Switzerland appealed to the Belarusian authorities to comply with their international obligations, in particular, in the field of human rights protection. This is stated in the joint statement of the diplomatic missions of these countries and the association of European states published on August 29 on the website of the British government.
“We call on the Belarusian authorities to respect the country’s international obligations in the field of fundamental democratic rights and the protection of human rights. We expect a full and transparent investigation of all alleged crimes and abuses in order to bring those responsible to justice, ”the statement reads.
It is noted that only such actions will pave the way for a peaceful settlement of the crisis on the basis of an inclusive national dialogue.
In addition, these countries and the European Union expressed solidarity with all victims of violence and abuse, as well as condolences to the families of those killed in the protests.
In this regard, the diplomatic missions demanded that Minsk “stop violence and threats to use military force against its own citizens” and “immediately and unconditionally release all those unjustly detained.”
On August 19, the head of the European Council Charles Michel said that the European Union plans to impose sanctions against a “significant” number of people in Belarus “responsible for violence and electoral fraud.”
On August 27, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the foreign ministers of the EU countries during an informal meeting in Berlin would discuss individual sanctions on Belarus, but would not make decisions.
Mass protests in Belarus began on August 9 after citizens from different cities in the country refused to recognize the election results. The people who took to the streets faced opposition from the security forces, there are casualties on both sides, several civilians were killed.