Belarusian dissident Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the European Parliament that the Belarusian democratic movement cannot wait much longer for Europe. The opposition leader, who fled abroad, said that ‘European expressions of solidarity and concern now need to be turned into concrete action,’ and that Europe must do more against autocracy.
Tsikhanouskaya also called for greater solidarity between Europe and the Belarusian democratic forces. “Let us not forget the Belarusian prisoners of conscience and let us help those who had to leave the country. Today, not only democracy in Belarus but also democracy in Europe depends on whether we walk this path together,” she said.
EP President David Sassoli called Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya a symbol of the struggle for democracy and freedom, and a voice for many political prisoners currently detained in Belarus.
The European Union is threatening sanctions against transport companies and carriers that cooperate in human smuggling or trafficking into the EU. As a result, airlines could be placed on a European ‘blacklist’ and temporarily lose their landing rights.
This is how the EU aims to put an end to the actions of Belarusian President Lukashenko. He is bringing large groups of refugees from the Middle East to enter the EU through his western neighbor Poland. Those refugees are also trying to cross the border illegally into Lithuania or Latvia.
In recent weeks, this situation has caused degrading conditions at the borders, prompting Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania to urgently set up large barbed wire fences. Border posts were also closed.
This situation at the EU border with Belarus would not have been possible without the cooperation of transport companies. The European Commission announced it would provide 200 million euros in financial aid to Poland and Lithuania. Additionally, the Commission announced it will soon propose emergency legislation for border control.
In response to the crisis, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia introduced national laws allowing ‘pushbacks,’ the illegal forced return of asylum seekers. In a debate, GreenLeft MEP Tineke Strik pointed out that almost none of the refugees who managed to get to Poland gain access to an asylum procedure.
The asylum seekers now wandering in the forests on the Polish-Russian border must be granted access to asylum procedures and humane reception, according to Strik. “This geopolitical crisis must not lead to the permanent closure of the borders,” she said.