Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he is taking to support democracy and human rights in Belarus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27200/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland remains extremely concerned at the ongoing erosion of human rights and democracy in Belarus.

We are deeply conscious that the people of Belarus have been continually denied access to free and fair elections and a real voice in the governing of their country.

The Lukashenko regime's relentless and unprecedented repression of human rights, restrictions on political participation and access to independent media is intended to stifle opposition voices and shore up its own illegitimate authoritarianism.

We are gravely concerned about the treatment of the estimated 1,200 political prisoners in Belarus and reports of their systemic, habitual and widespread mistreatment. Shockingly since May 2021, at least eight political prisoners have died in the regime’s captivity.

Ireland’s response to the situation in Belarus has focused on working bilaterally, at EU, and at multilateral level, to support civil society and the democratic opposition in exile and to highlight concerns regarding the Lukashenko regime's violations of human rights.

On 26 January, together with other EU Foreign Ministers, I met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, in Brussels ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council. At that meeting, I reiterated Ireland's commitment to continuing to speak out against the Lukashenko regime and to support the rights of the Belarusian population.

Ireland will continue to support strong coordinated EU sanctions and other measures, including action at the OSCE and at the UN, to hold Belarus accountable for its violations of human rights and the rule of law, and its complicity in Russia’s ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine.

At the same, we will continue to focus on working bilaterally and at EU level to ensure that in this increasingly difficult context the people of Belarus are assured of the EU’s continued focus and commitment to their well-being, human rights and legitimate aspiration to a prosperous future in a democratic Belarus.