Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this debate and the opportunity to speak on the worsening situation in Belarus. I note the comments of previous speakers and wish to add my voice to the chorus of condemnation that has already been heard in this Chamber. Accordingly, I am very happy to support this motion as it stands. The events of 23 May over Belarus were scandalous and completely unacceptable at so many different levels. First, the intercepting diverting and forced landing of a Ryanair civilian airliner in Minsk was an incredible and unprecedented event in modern history. For all intents, it was state hijacking, state terrorism and state piracy all in one on a ridiculous pretext of a bogus bomb warning from Hamas and the subsequent charade of a baggage search on the airport tarmac. It was an insult to everyone's intelligence. Second, it was also the state kidnapping of a journalist and opposition activist Roman Protasevich and his travelling companion Sofia Sapega. If that was not enough, both detainees were subjected to forced confessions on television, sporting bruises on their faces, as well as their ongoing arbitrary and indefinite incarceration. Third, at an EU level, it was also an attack on both freedom of expression and freedom of movement and a threat to the safety of civil aviation, not to mention the unjustified subsequent expulsion of Latvian diplomats from Belarus, again, on false pretences. In summary, this was a new low for an already discredited authoritarian regime and when coupled with the rigged elections of nine months ago, which were neither free nor fair, it represents a further significant and sinister deterioration in the situation.

From a specifically Irish perspective, however, the ability of foreign agents to operate so freely in Athens poses very uncomfortable questions for our own sovereignty as it brings into sharp focus the potential for similar actions by foreign agents in this jurisdiction and our lack of counter espionage security services and resources. Furthermore, it once again highlights our own sovereign lack of control of our own airspace, if any more evidence was needed.

Where do we go from here? I am glad the Minister for Foreign Affairs confirmed that an investigation by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization is now under way to formally determine the facts of the incident and that this committee will report by 26 June. Second, I welcome the fact that EU aircraft will no longer overfly Belarusian airspace and that Belarusian aircraft will no longer be permitted to land in EU airports or even enter EU airspace. Finally, I welcome €3 billion of EU money that has been provisionally put on the table to encourage a peaceful transition of Belarus from an authoritarian state to a functioning democracy and I am very glad this investment is on hold with the transition process gets under way. All these measures are appropriate, but we can go further and the EU needs to adopt a tougher stance from a Belarusian point of view. For instance, additional targeted sanctions on President Lukashenko and his senior officials and entities should now be considered, unless there is an immediate and unconditional release of both detainees. Targeted sanctions will not suffice, however, and we should also couple sanctions against the regime with supports for the innocent general population. For instance, EU visas could temporarily be considered for Belarusians facing persecution or the risk of arbitrary arrest at home. The EU should also engage with and support the Belarusian government in exile and recognise it as the legitimate transitional government of Belarus. Perhaps most importantly, consideration should be given to inviting Belarusian opposition leaders to address the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence or perhaps even the Dáil proper in plenary session. Finally, more pressure should be exerted on Moscow to intervene positively. New independently monitored elections are needed in Belarus as soon as possible.

The regime of President Lukashenko is one of the last dictatorships in Europe. Ireland needs to leverage its influential position at EU and UN levels to mobilise the international community and support the peaceful transition to democracy.

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