Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank that Seanad for inviting me here this evening and for giving me this opportunity to discuss the ongoing disturbing developments in Belarus. I will come back to this point but I will begin by praising the work done by Irish parliamentarians on this issue to date. It has been truly exemplary. In particular, I thank Senator Barry Ward for championing a motion on the political regime in Belarus in July. This political interest is testament to a broader public consciousness in Ireland of the deeply worrying events happening at the EU's eastern border.

Ireland stands in solidarity with the people of Belarus and we will continue to do so. The people of Belarus have been courageous beyond measure. They persist in the difficult work of holding an autocratic regime to account and they are not giving up. They deserve our solidarity and support. How did we get to this place of deep concern? On 9 August 2020, the Belarusian regime held presidential elections and Alexander Lukashenko ran for a further term. For more than two decades he has denied the people of Belarus a free and fair choice for their leader. Since coming to power in 1994, he has ruled the country through fear. Frustrated by his leadership, the Belarusian people expressed their desire for change in the election held in August 2020. However, the regime declared that Lukashenko had won with more than 80% of the vote. International observers condemned the vote as neither free nor fair.There was ample evidence of widespread intimidation and harassment of candidates before the election. There were serious irregularities during the election process. This was a fraudulent election. Something remarkable happened then. The people of Belarus rose up. Throughout August 2020 hundreds of thousands of ordinary people marched through the streets of Minsk in open defiance of the regime. Their daring and bravery impressed many people across the world. It was clear that Lukashenko had underestimated the people he had ruled with an iron fist for a quarter of a century. They stood up for their right to determine their own destiny. They stood up for democracy.

There was a moment when Lukashenko could have accepted the clear will of his people. He could have called fresh elections, free and fair, with international monitoring, and prepared to leave office if his people willed it, in a dignified manner. Instead, sadly, he chose to take the road towards tyranny. Lukashenko used the tools of authoritarianism against his own people. He sent state security forces to attack, arrest and torture peaceful protestors whom the state-controlled media then labelled as extremists and terrorists. He took measures to make life intolerable for civil society organisations, independent news agencies and anyone else who could question his version of events. His regime threatened and harassed oppositions figures, activists and human rights defenders. There were even reports that some women activists were threatened with having their children taken away. Many people had to flee their homes and seek safety abroad. Most tragically some lost their lives.

The abuse, however, only served to increase public outrage. Tens of thousands continued to demonstrate peacefully for fair elections, justice and a better future. Instead of looking for a national dialogue, the regime launched hundreds of politically motivated criminal cases against opposition members, protestors and supporters. They detained, beat, fined or deported journalists who covered protests and stripped them of their accreditation. They blocked dozens of websites and periodically restricted access to the Internet. Police often denied detainees food and water. Guards at detention facilities confiscated people's medications, frequently ignoring calls for medical care, in some cases denying it altogether. Detainees were denied access to a lawyer, and the list of abuses is long and concerning.

In May 2021 a Ryanair flight travelling between two EU capitals, Athens to Vilnius, was ordered by Belarusian authorities to land in Minsk. The plane was escorted by a military jet. The regime claimed there was a bomb on board. This was untrue. There was no bomb on board, only a Belarusian journalist, Roman Protasevich, whose coverage of Lukashenko's antics had angered the regime. Mr. Protasevich and his companion were illegally detained and the plane was sent on its way. This appalling incident brought Belarus back to the top of the international agenda. The incident is under investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Ireland and the EU reacted swiftly and firmly. In June myself and the other 26 EU foreign ministers decided to impose targeted sanctions against those responsible for the ongoing repression of the Belarusian people. The Lukashenko regime prepared a cruel response by weaponising migration of vulnerable people against the EU's external borders. Since mid-May Belarusian state entities have been actively transporting migrants who have arrived in Minsk on direct flights from Baghdad or Istanbul to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. Migrants who have been declined entry into the EU but who are not allowed to return to Belarus are effectively left in limbo at the border. The Belarusian regime is complicit is leaving vulnerable migrants, including minors, in a very dangerous situation and this cannot continue.

I will continue to work with my European counterparts on our shared response to what is currently happening in the context of Belarus. Ireland has already contributed €100,000 to the Lithuanian Red Cross in response. I am glad to have the support of Senators, Deputies and the broader Irish public in this work.

Irish people have a long connection with Belarus. Irish families have provided a home away from home for thousands of Belarusian children over the decades thanks to the work of Adi Roche, among others, and her foundation Chernobyl Children International as well as other organisations led by other people. Indeed, Senators will recall the visit this summer of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader in exile of the Belarusian opposition and her heartwarming visit to her former host family in Roscrea, which was powerful. I also had a long meeting with her and her courage and determination are extraordinarily impressive.

Political action in the Dáil and Seanad has reflected Ireland's links to Belarus. I recall with gratitude the unanimous Dáil support for my motion on 1 June, Seanad support for Senator Barry Ward's motion on 15 July and the interest shown by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence in Ms Tsikhanouskaya's testimony during her visit in the summer. I look forward to hearing and engaging with Members' statements. I am interested in Members' ideas on how we can continue to engage bilaterally and multilaterally to improve the deeply concerning situation in Belarus.

I wish to finish by stating what Ireland wants to see in Belarus. We want to see exactly what the people of Belarus deserve, which is to have their human rights and fundamental freedoms protected, to be free from state violence, repression, torture and arbitrary detention. The people of Belarus deserve to be free to speak their own minds, to be permitted to protest, to assemble publicly and to have access to independent media outlets that will print and broadcast genuinely independent voices, but most importantly, the people of Belarus deserve fresh, free, fair elections that are internationally monitored. The people of Belarus surely deserve to decide on their own destiny and we have a responsibility to do all we can to help them.