February 14, Pozirk. Reprisals that are gaining momentum in Belarus must be stopped, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a joint article published by Die Welt.
About 1,500 people are imprisoned in Belarus in politically-motivated cases, including those who participated in peaceful protests against the vote-rigging in the 2020 presidential election, the politicians noted.
Everyone has the right to be free and express their opinions, while society should be able to choose those who govern it, they stressed.
In 2020, Belarusians took to the streets longing for freedom that is the foundation of a peaceful Europe and that Alaksandar Łukašenka hated so much, Cichanoŭskaja and Baerbock said. The Belarusian ruler is becoming increasingly cruel to his critics, including women, as they made peaceful protests in Belarus so effective, they noted.
“A dictatorship that harasses its citizens so brutally will eventually direct its aggression outwards,” the politicians warned, listing as examples the migrant crisis at the European Union borders and authorities’ support of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia’s brutal imperialism overshadows the Belarusian regime, but Belarusians have been suffering for decades, they noted and promised support to the Belarusian pro-democracy forces, independent media and emigrants.
Belarusians should not be left behind a new Iron Curtain, Cichanoŭskaja and Baerbock said, stressing that sanctions pressure against authorities in Minsk will continue.
