‘Belarusians expect West to be braver and stronger’. Tsikhanouskaya counts on tougher sanctions
The reaction of the international community to the political crisis in Belarus is very modest, opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said during the issue-related online discussion which was held by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on Wednesday, tsikhanouskaya.org reports.
According to her, there are more opportunities the European Union, United Nations, and OSCE need to consider. In particular, Tsikhanouskaya’s team called on OSCE participating states to lead the mediation process in order to open an inclusive dialogue on peaceful transition in Belarus.
Political transformation in Belarus can be achieved only with the support of the European Union, the United States, and other international partners, she noted.
“I truly hope that the EU’s fourth package of sanctions will be adopted as soon as possible. It is crucial to impose pressure on those responsible for human and civil rights violations but also target corrupt officials and businessmen. Unfortunately, the reaction of the international community to the political crisis in Belarus is very modest. The adopted sanctions are several times less than after the 2010 elections when the repression was dozens of times less. People expect the West to be braver and stronger,” Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya appealed in her speech.
Once again, she urged the world to recognise OMON and GUBOPiK, two Belarusian security agencies involved in post-election atrocities, as terrorist organisations.
“We have heard the recording of Mikalai Karpyankou, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, who tells his subordinates that Lukashenka lets them shoot the protesters on sight and that a concentration camp for the ‘unnecessary’ Belarusians should be built. The world must know about it,” the politician said.
Last week, Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, warnd that if bad developments continued, sanction regime could be extended. When asked about the EU’s assessment of the effect of the sanctions imposed amid the continuing suppression in Belarus, Stano reminded that there had been three waves of listings, but stressed that the process would be ‘open’ as long as the Belarusian authorities refused to engage in a nationwide inclusive national dialogue about finding the solutions to the crisis.
