Estonian formin: Belarusians must be freed from fear, repression

TALLINN, Aug 09, BNS – On the fifth anniversary of the fraudulent presidential election held in Belarus on Aug. 9, 2020, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna reaffirmed Estonia’s commitment to supporting Belarusians in their struggle for freedom and democracy, and to ensuring Belarus becomes part of the democratic European community.

"Five years ago today, the Belarusian regime falsified the election results, shattering the hopes of all those Belarusians who had gone to the polls wishing to see their country move towards a free and democratic future. Following the election stolen by Alexander Lukashenko, protesters gathered across Belarus under white-red-white flags and symbols, united in their message: Europe’s last dictatorship must come to an end," Tsahkna said.

The foreign minister said that the world has seen the true face of Lukashenko’s regime over the past five years.

"The brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests saw the use of water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Thousands have been imprisoned for political reasons. They included Estonian citizen Allan Roio, who suffered the harsh impact of the Belarusian regime for a year and a half and was only released from prison this June thanks to international efforts. The regime continues to support Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine while simultaneously weaponizing migration pressure against Europe," Tsahkna stated.

He added that despite all this, hope for a democratic Belarus endures.

"As the Belarusian regime carries out widespread repression against its people, Estonia continues to exert pressure on it by ramping up sanctions and increasing its international isolation. At the same time, our support for Belarusian democratic forces remains unwavering. Belarusians must be freed from fear and repression, and their country must become part of the family of democratic European nations," Tsahkna said.