Joint Statement on December 2 Sanctions in Response to the Situation in Belarus

Office of the Spokesperson

The text of the following statement was released by the United States of America, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom.

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Today, in response to the continuing attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms in Belarus, disregard for international norms and repeated acts of repression, we have again taken coordinated sanctions action against certain individuals and entities.

We remain committed to supporting the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and stand together to impose costs on the regime – and those who support it – for its efforts to silence the voices of independent civil society, media, and all Belarusians seeking to speak the truth about what is happening in their country.

We again demand that the Lukashenka regime immediately and completely halt its orchestrating of irregular migration across its borders with the EU. Those, in Belarus or in third countries, who facilitate illegal crossing of the EU’s external borders should know this comes at a substantial cost.

We call for the regime to unconditionally and without delay release its almost 900 political prisoners, end its campaign of repression, and implement the recommendations of the independent expert mission under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism and take meaningful action to address the concerns raised under the OSCE Vienna Mechanism. The regime should promptly enter into comprehensive and genuine political dialogue with representatives of the democratic opposition and civil society, facilitated by the OSCE, leading to new free and fair presidential elections under international observation.

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