STATEMENT
OF THE SAEIMA OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA
On the protection of the interests of the people of Belarus and the condemnation of the
consolidation of power by Lukashenko’s regime
The Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
with reference
to
- the Statement of 19 January 2011 on the Situation in Belarus issued by the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the Saeima,
- and the Statement of the Saeima of 18 August 2020 on the Presidential Election in Belarus,
- the Statement of 1 October 2020 on the legitimacy of the mandate claimed by the president
of Belarus,
- the Statement of 27 May 2021 on the forced landing of flight FR4978 in Minsk, capital of
Belarus,
- the Statement of 17 November 2022 on declining to form groups for promoting
cooperation with the parliaments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,
- the Statement of 21 December 2023 on the return of illegally displaced Ukrainian children
from the territories of Russia and Belarus to Ukraine,
- the Statement of 27 March 2024 on measures to suspend economic relations between
Latvia and the aggressor states – Russia and Belarus;
reiterating
its condemnation of the authorities of Belarus for disregarding the principles of
democracy and the rule of law, oppressing its citizens, and refusing to recognise Aleksandr
Lukashenko as the legitimately elected president of Belarus;
recalling
the continuous persection of civic society by the governing regime of Belarus through
torture and arbitrary incarceration of thousands of civilians, forcing many to flee the country to
escape repression
noting
that the so-called presidential elections scheduled for 26 January 2025 cannot be
considered free and fair, as they will take place in the absence of international observers, under
total suppression of the opposition, the elimination of independent media, and intensified
repression, depriving the people of Belarus of any possibility to express their political will
freely;
emphasising
that Aleksandr Lukashenko, leader of the Belarusian regime, has lost all legitimacy
since 2020 and that these so-called elections are merely a symbolic ritual intended to maintain
the regime's power;
does not recognise
the presidential election in Belarus scheduled for 26 January 2025 as
legitimate;
condemns
the systematic human rights violations by the Belarusian regime, including the
destruction of independent media, suppression of the opposition and inhumane treatment of
political prisoners;
demands
the authorities of Belarus to immediately release all political prisoners, stop
repressions and comply with international commitments regarding the principles of human
rights and democracy;