Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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177. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the level of engagement he has had with his European counterparts regarding the unrest in Belarus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37578/20]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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180. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions that have been had at European Council level on the ongoing situation in Belarus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37673/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 180 together.

Along with my European counterparts, I have been appalled by events in Belarus, including the recent death of a peaceful protester in police custody. We have discussed the situation in Belarus at the Foreign Affairs Council each month since the fraudulent election and we have been firmly engaged in seeking a peaceful and democratic resolution to the crisis.

In response to the falsification of the election result and the use of state violence against peaceful protesters the European Council agreed on the imposition of targeted sanctions against individuals in Belarus. So far 55 individuals have been sanctioned, including Lukashenko himself, and we stand ready to go further.

However, sanctions are just one element of a broader response. We remain engaged in supporting the Belarusian people in their simple and clear demand to have free and fair elections and to have their basic human rights respected. The review of EU-Belarus relations will soon be finalised and we will continue to work on redirecting EU funds away from the Belarusian authorities and to the Belarusian people and civil society. 

We will continue to press the Belarusian authorities to end their campaign of violence against the Belarusian people, to unconditionally release those unjustly detained and to respect their international commitments.