Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for attending the House today. This is a topic on which many of us are ad idem. Many of us had the opportunity meet Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya when she was in this country. We know Sviatlana, along with her compatriots, have unceasingly and courageously stood up for human rights and basic freedoms. As others have outlined, they have sought democratic elections in the country. Others have said Ms Tsikhanouskaya put herself forward because her husband was jailed by the Lukashenko regime. I know she is, like me, a mother of two young children and she is travelling the world fearlessly and courageously in trying to ensure her country can see democratic action in its next elections.

I am part of the group that has "adopted" prisoners in Belarus. I have "adopted" the case of Mr. Pavel Mazko, an 18-year-old prisoner who has been incarcerated since March 2021. He attended one of the peaceful demonstrations against the falsification of election results. He is very well known in his community for being a disability activist and I know his parents are very concerned that he is still behind bars. It is heartbreaking for them that he is still incarcerated. One of my colleagues has mentioned there are 500 political prisoners and Senator Mullen spoke about 600 prisoners. I have a figure indicating there are over 700 political prisoners. It is a huge number.

Over a year on, we know these calls remain unanswered and the Lukashenko regime has cracked down on its own people, exacerbating the rift between state and society. Representatives of the opposition and pro-democratic forces, together with thousands of citizens from all sections of society, have either died in uncertain circumstances, been incarcerated or been compelled to leave their country and live in exile, as Ms Tsikhanouskaya has had to.

According to Viasna, the Belarusian human rights non-governmental organisation, there are now 722 political prisoners and among them are members of the opposition, human rights defenders, journalists, defence lawyers, trade unionists, peaceful protestors and activists, including Mr. Ales Bialiatski, chair of Viasna. Ms Michelle Bachalet Jeria, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her update to the UN on 24 September, just last week, indicated that approximately 497 journalists and media workers were arrested last year, with at least 68 reportedly subject to massive ill-treatment. Approximately 27 journalists and media workers are still in detention, including Mr. Roman Protasevich, who we all know as the man detained after his flight from Greece was illegally forced to land in Minsk.

Independent news portals Tut.byand zerkalo.iowere designated as "extremists", making it a crime to disseminate any of their output. Approximately 129 civil society organisations reportedly closed by the end of August and scores more were closed during September. These include several long-standing partners of the UN, and examples include the Belarusian PEN centre, the Belarusian association of journalists and the oldest human rights organisation in the country, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. Ms Bachalet Jeria also indicated she is deeply concerned by increasing severe restrictions on civic space and fundamental freedoms, including continuing patterns of police raids against civil society organisations and independent media, as well as what appear to be routinely politically motivated arrests and criminal prosecutions of human rights activists and journalists.

Of major concern is gender-based violence in detention. It has been reported 30% of those arbitrarily detained are women and girls and the UN office reports sexual violence committed by law enforcement officials primarily but not exclusively against women and girls. This includes reports of sexual assaults, threats of sexual assault, psychological violence and sexual harassment against both women and men. Psychological violence has reportedly been widespread, including threats of sexual assault and threats of removing a victim's children, and some of these threats have been realised. My colleague and the Minister have outlined that the Lukashenko regime is now using the migrant crisis as a political weapon and retaliation for sanctions, which is a fact that the EU must take on board. The use of humans in this way is deeply concerning, cynical and akin to extreme military violence. All of the partners in the EU must continue to support the people of Belarus, including by providing emergency assistance to the victims of oppression and the independent media and by getting humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. We need to support the migrants who have been transported to the borders of the EU because they do not deserve to be used as a political missile. We must continue to support the democratic, independent, sovereign, prosperous and stable Belarus. The voices and the will of the people of Belarus will not be quelled.