Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is a pleasure to speak on this motion. As the Cathaoirleach indicated, this is an important matter, which has been discussed in this House on a number of occasions. I acknowledge the fact that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, has come to the House himself to speak to Members about this. The things he said are important, and I will go into them shortly, but I also want to acknowledge his own deep connection to Belarus. I know the Minister has been there and has spent time with Belarusians both here and there. It is tremendously important to have that insight at the top of the Irish Government, that the Minister understands what they have gone through and that is willing to lend an ear to them and to sincerely take on board what they have said to him, which many of us have heard as well.

It is difficult in many respects for us as Irish people who enjoyed, if not a peaceful transition, an ordered transition, one hundred years ago as we moved out of colonial status and into Free State status. We inherited institutions that functioned in the new State and continue to function today, many of them based on what was there before them. It is difficult for us to understand what happened in Belarus in 1994 as it became a new free state, free from the Soviet Union. It did not enjoy any of that stability or that order. The Civil War here at the beginning of our State pales in comparison to what has happened and the scale on which it has happened in Belarus over the past 30 years or so.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, talked about how Alexander Lukashenko underestimated the people he had ruled with an iron fist and underestimated their daring bravery. That is very much what we are talking about here.

I am lucky enough to have a number of friends who are both Irish and Belarusian and I have travelled there on a number of occasions and met with people. The most recent visit was two years before the 2020 elections. At that time people in Belarus did not talk about politics. They would not discuss the Lukashenko regime or how they felt about politics or particular issues.The most marked change in August 2020 and the groundswell of public resistance to what happened during the so-called presidential election was that people were talking openly about it. They discussed it on WhatsApp and in telephone calls. In the past, people did not even talk about it on the telephone, but after the election they publicly discussed how uncomfortable and unhappy they were with the usurping of their democratic right and the continued takeover by an autocrat.

The Minister highlighted that this is happening on the edge of Europe. Belarus borders Poland and Lithuania. It is right at the edge of the European Union. Mr. Lukashenko is described as the last dictator in Europe and that is probably accurate, but it is extraordinary in many respects that he has been allowed to survive and continue in that role since 1994, overtaking a constitutional forum and deciding unilaterally if there will be any kind of consultation with the people, whether it is entirely false or not. The Minister pointed out that, exceptionally, there is universal disdain for this election internationally, including at European Commission level and US State Department level. All of the international bodies that examine elections around the world have stated this election was neither free nor fair. There can be no dispute about it. The people on the ground saw that too, which is why they rose up against their oppressor, Mr. Lukashenko.

The peaceful protests to which the Minister referred were suppressed with the kind of violence and heavy-handedness that we have not seen in Europe for a very long time. The oppression was stark. The Minister referred to those who were attacked, including women, journalists and peaceful protestors. I pay tribute to Viasna, Libereco and the other international human rights organisations that have done a really good job of highlighting that there are still more than 500 political prisoners in prison in Belarus. Such prisoners have been adopted by parliamentarians here and in other parliaments across Europe, including the European Parliament. I adopted Maksim Pauliushchyk. He is an ordinary civilian who spray-painted the slogan "We will not forget" on a pavement near where one of the first protestors was killed. More than a year later, he is still languishing in prison. He is just one of hundreds of people in such situations.

The Minister referred to the audacity of the Lukashenko regime in grounding a Ryanair flight. A European civilian flight was essentially taken hostage by Belarusian military forces. It is extraordinary that has been allowed to happen. I do not lay that criticism at the door of anyone in particular, but there are several countries that would have begun an armed conflict if it had happened to them. It is extraordinary that Lukashenko has been allowed to get away with grounding a civilian aircraft using live military assets and on the basis of a complete falsehood, as the Minister stated.

We are dealing with a person who has no respect whatsoever for the rule of law. Sanctions have been imposed on him but they have not worked. I refer to the reduction in the number of potash sales that can be made to farmers in Europe while the deals already in place with Belarus are allowed to continue. That is not the fault of the Minister. I recognise the work he has done on the issue. However, the approach and response at European level and world level has been insufficient to deal with this because Mr. Lukashenko, the so-called president, remains in his position and continues to act with impunity. If there is a message that we can send this evening, it is that this cannot be allowed to continue.

All Members recognise that it is wrong, that the election was fraudulent and that Mr. Lukashenko has acted in a heavy-handed, illegal and autocratic way. We recognise that he sits on the border of a democratic union, the European Union, and continues to imprison journalists and other citizens who have done little wrong other than to protest against his regime and disagree with his autocracy. We are to a large extent helpless and unable to act because even the sanctions that have been put in place are insufficient to put pressure on this man and impress upon him that he is not wanted and will not be tolerated. I do not think he has got that message. I recognise that sanctions are a blunt instrument and that often when they are imposed on a particular regime, the people who really suffer are the ordinary citizens on the ground, as resources are centralised and kept within a small group of people. I recognise that is a problem, but I feel strongly that not just Ireland, but Europe must take a stand and implement much stricter sanctions against the Lukashenko regime and the individuals within it. Those who we know are involved in Lukashenko's central committee or his inner circle must also be targeted. There should be no mercy in the context of making it clear to them that this simply will not be tolerated.

I acknowledge the work done by the Minister. He mentioned Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, whose husband is one of the hundreds of political prisoners. I had the honour of meeting her on several occasions when she visited Ireland recently. Her courage is testament to the courage of a whole nation. She has indicated the strength with which the Belarusian people are willing to meet Lukashenko's autocracy. I ask that we, as a country and as the European Union, match that courage and make a clear statement that we will not tolerate the autocracy in Belarus.