Emmanuel Macron in support of Belarusian demonstrators. The French president on Sunday called on the European Union (EU) to “continue to mobilize” alongside the “hundreds of thousands” of people demonstrating in Belarus against the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko.
"The European Union must continue to mobilize alongside the hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who demonstrate peacefully for the respect of their rights, their freedom and their sovereignty", declared the French president on Twitter.
The European Union must continue to mobilize alongside the hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who demonstrate peacefully for the respect of their rights, their freedom and their sovereignty.
- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 16, 2020At the same time and for several hours, tens of thousands of people had gathered in Minsk, the capital of the country, to demand the departure of President Lukashenko. The latter, who emerged victorious from the presidential election the previous Sunday (according to the official results, which are highly disputed), refuses to let go of power. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, hoping to gain support from the Kremlin.
" No to violence ! "Long live Belarus", could one hear among the slogans of the protesters or read on their placards.
Sanctions process launched by the EU
On Friday, the European Union agreed to sanctions against Belarusian officials linked to repression or electoral fraud. "The EU will now launch a process of sanctions against those responsible for violence, arrests and fraud linked to the presidential election" in Belarus, announced Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
France is "fully committed to the principle of targeted individual sanctions and support for the rights and freedoms of the Belarusian people", for his part assured the French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune.
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VIDEO. Belarus: human chains against repression