‘They want world to forget those brave people’. Angela Merkel urges Belarus authorities to stop repression
German Chancellor Angela Merkel answered a question about Belarus when taking part in an online meeting with students on May 5.
The German leader also recalled that her country, like the European Union, did not recognise the results of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus. She expressed solidarity with Belarusian protesters, describing their democratic movement as ‘admirable perseverance against electoral fraud’, and called on the country’s authorities to immediately stop repression and to release political prisoners:
“Germany and the European Union will continue to hold those responsible for the ongoing human rights violations in Belarus to account. The calculation by those in power seemed to be that the world would forget these brave people. We cannot let that happen,” Deutsche Welle quotes the top European politician.
Merkel also announced further measures that Germany would start offering to Belarusians in humanitarian need, including easier access to visas, scholarships and support to independent media. According to her, such steps will hardly resolve the conflict in Belarus, but they may show ‘the brave people there’ that Germany are on their side.
