Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minster of State for the strong statement from this House, and I trust the motion will pass later. I admire the principled stance the Government has taken on this matter.

I acknowledge the speed with which the UN has acknowledged that this matter, particularly the forced landing of an aircraft to extract a citizen from it, is very serious. It is a disgraceful act of tyranny.

The circumstances in Belarus has been deteriorating for some time. I visited Minsk some years ago with fellow Members of the Oireachtas and saw at first hand an entire generation of Belarusian citizens who were unfortunately still suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl tragedy. The current events are so horrific and, considering the response of the west, involving inevitable sanctions against the Belarusian Government, the citizens will suffer. While I welcome the €3 billion commitment by the EU, I do not believe it is enough. We should do more in that regard.

I commend the many charities that do incredible work in Belarus. Ms Adi Roche was mentioned by Deputy Richmond. Former Deputy Coonan did great work with children in Belarus. It is important that we continue our outreach work in that country.

The oppressive regime of Alexander Lukashenko has lost all credibility, not that it ever had any. It is not fit to represent the people of Belarus. They do not see the recent election results as legitimate. I stand in solidarity with them today and those members of the Belarusian community who were outside Dáil Éireann a little earlier. The 2020 election saw significant irregularities, and independent experts have cited widespread electoral fraud in favour of Mr. Lukashenko. Since that time, the regime has launched brutal crackdowns on peaceful protesters and the media. It was mentioned that there were tens of thousands of arrests, and many have been subjected to a denial of human rights and civil liberties.

We in Ireland have a long and rightly proud history of speaking out against authoritarian governments and highlighting the plight of persecuted peoples. Our positions in the EU and on the UN Security Council afford us an even greater platform to shine a light on authoritarian leaders and foster the growth of democracy. As a former head of delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, which position I had for the past seven years, I met many parliamentarians from around the world, including Belarus. This latest turn of events appals both them and me. Mr. Lukashenko's government has acted increasingly erratically. The forced landing of the Ryanair flight is a symbolic sign of desperation. Forcing the landing of a civil aircraft flying between two EU nations is simply unacceptable. It is a State-backed act of piracy.

The seizing of the aircraft to facilitate Mr. Roman Protasevich, a journalist who has been critical of the stolen election in 2020, symbolises all that we know that is true of tyrants: they fear an open press, they fear allowing their people the freedom to choose, and they fear an independent judiciary. We know the regime is using violence and intimidation in a desperate attempt to suppress the will of the people. This includes mass incarceration on political grounds, the use of torture and disappearances. This is an affront to anybody who believes in human rights, democracy and freedom. We must use our position in the international community to foster a democratic movement in Belarus and support the operation of a free press within the State.

Supporting sanctions against the regime, along with other international measures, must be only the first step on a path to allowing democracy to flourish in Belarus. Supporting the opposition, electoral reform efforts and system change must be further encouraged. I am pleased the EU is committing to a fund of €3 billion but it is not enough. We must and can do more. We must also recognise that support for the regime should not be tolerated by any nation.

We cannot avoid the fact that the Russian Government has provided Lukashenko with political cover and offered a range of supports to the regime. It is not the first time the Russian Government has done this, and it most certainly will not be the last. Russia has destabilised regions of eastern Europe and far beyond. The annexation of Crimea in recent years, the threatening of nations such as Georgia, the attacks on critics of the Kremlin at home and abroad, certain cyber activity, and the brutal repression of opposition journalists and activists are examples. This behaviour is a threat to all European nations. It has been mentioned by one of my colleagues. Countries on the doorstep of the European Union have experienced difficulties associated with the Russian regime.

A fundamental pillar that underpins freedom and democracy cannot be taken for granted. Freedom and democracy require dedication and the continuous efforts of successive generations. We can see these norms being chipped away at within the EU and externally. Hungary and Poland, for instance, have both shown willingness to roll back on the liberties that have been so hard won.

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