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Three years ago, on 9 August 2020, Alexander Lukashenko proclaimed himself the winner of the rigged presidential election, thereby trampling on the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people. On the third anniversary of peaceful protests against the fraudulent presidential election in Belarus, the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic states and Poland issued a joint statement condemning the massive internal repression by the illegal regime, complicity in Russia’s crime of aggression, erosion of Belarus’ sovereignty and political destabilisation of the region.

“We must remind ourselves that the struggle for freedom never ends. We believe in a democratic, independent and sovereign Belarus, as well as in Ukraine’s victory. The authoritarian regime must collapse, and Lukashenko and his accomplices must be held accountable,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis said.

The Foreign Ministers noted Lukashenko’s regime’s continued repression, despite the international community’s condemnation. Human rights defenders, media workers, lawyers, and citizens criticising the regime are labelled extremists. Their persecution, blackmail, arrests and imprisonment continue. Moreover, the number of political prisoners has risen to 1500. They are not only unlawfully imprisoned but also subjected to torture. Schools of national minorities are also being closed.

The statement condemns the Belarusian regime’s logistical and political support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. In addition to nuclear weapons, the Wagner mercenary group is deployed on the country’s territory. Furthermore, Lukashenko’s regime is an accomplice in the forced deportations of Ukrainian children, thus being directly complicit in the war crime to be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.

At this excruciating moment in Belarusian history, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland continue to support the Belarusian people, remaining true to the commitment expressed in the historic motto “For our Freedom and Yours”. The statement stresses not only the belief in a democratic Belarus but also Ukraine’s victory, as well as the commitment to continue to support the democratic forces of Belarus, its leadership and other representatives of the civil society that rally in pursuit of democratic changes in Belarus.

The full statement (in English) can be found here.