A democratic future for Belarus
Recommendation 2266
(2024)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 25 January 2024 (6th sitting) (see Doc. 15892 and addendum, report of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,
rapporteur: Mr Kimmo Kiljunen; and oral opinion of the Committee
on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Mr Emanuelis Zingeris). Text adopted by the Assembly on
25 January 2024 (6th sitting).
1. Drawing the Committee of Ministers’
attention to its
Resolution
2530 (2024) “A democratic future for Belarus”, the Parliamentary
Assembly reiterates its ambition to welcome a future democratic,
independent, sovereign, peaceful and prosperous Belarus as a member
of the Council of Europe.
2. The Assembly therefore hails the commitment made by the Heads
of State and Government of the Council of Europe in the Reykjavik
Declaration to strengthen co-operation with Belarusian human rights defenders,
democratic forces, free media and independent civil society, and
to pursue the work of the Council of Europe Contact Group on co-operation
with representatives of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society.
The Assembly fully supports the Contact Group as an institutional
platform which enables the Council of Europe, the Belarusian democratic
forces and civil society to partner up with a view to promoting
a democratic change in Belarus and strengthen the rights of Belarusian
people, whether in Belarus or in exile.
3. Condemning the active support by the Lukashenka regime of
the Russian Federation in its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine,
the Assembly welcomes the decision of the Committee of Ministers
of 17 March 2022 “to suspend the rights of Belarus to participate
as observer or in any other capacity in meetings and activities
of the Committee of Ministers, the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities or in any subsidiary organs or bodies thereof”.
4. Expressing its solidarity with all those whose lives have
been affected by the crimes of the Lukashenka regime, the Assembly
states its gravest concern at the systematic deterioration of human
rights, rule of law and democratic standards in Belarus since the
fraudulent presidential elections of 9 August 2020, a trend which further
increased following the Russian Federation’s large-scale aggression
against Ukraine.
5. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly believes
that the Council of Europe should further strengthen its support
for Belarusian democratic forces and civil society while promoting
mechanisms to ensure the accountability of the Lukashenka regime.
6. The Assembly therefore calls on the Committee of Ministers
to:
6.1 provide political and material
support and greater visibility to the Council of Europe Contact
Group on co-operation with representatives of Belarusian democratic
forces and civil society and its activities;
6.2 hold regular exchanges of views on the situation in Belarus,
with the participation of Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, representatives
of the United Transitional Cabinet and the Coordination Council;
6.3 step up co-operation with other international organisations,
including the European Union, to promote a European perspective
for a future democratic Belarus.
7. Furthermore, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of
Ministers:
7.1 explore methodologies
and initiatives to ensure accountability for the repression in Belarus, through
national, regional or international procedures;
7.2 encourage member States to support and contribute to establishing
a system of accountability for the crimes and human rights violations
committed by the Lukashenka regime.
