Calls for EU to impose sanctions on Belarus after disputed elections

Campaigners say Lukashenko regime must face consequences for human rights violations. https://www.eudebates.tv/ #eudebates #Belarus #violence #elections Belarus is facing one of the biggest political crises in its post-Soviet history, after its presidential election triggered widespread protests.

The EU is facing calls to impose sanctions on Alexander Lukashenko after a violent police crackdown on demonstrators in cities across Belarus following Sunday’s disputed elections.

The Polish MEP Robert Biedroń, who chairs the European parliament’s Belarus delegation, said the EU needed to rethink its policy towards Belarus’s president of 26 years. “We should introduce sanctions on Belarusian officials responsible for grave violations of human rights and fundamental rights,” he said.

“There must be a price that Lukashenko is paying for his violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Without this price paid by Lukashenko, nothing will change in Belarus.”

Official results on Monday showed that Lukashenko won 80.23% of the vote, enabling him to claim a sixth term in office and extend his decades-long grip on power. His main rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who had drawn large crowds at rallies and officially took 9.9% of the vote, said the election had been rigged.