MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

7.3.2005

pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure,
by Anna Fotyga, Konrad Szymanski, Inese Vaidere
on behalf of Union for Europe of the Nations
on situation in Belarus

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0193/2005

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B6-0209/2005

European parliament resolution on the situation in Belarus

The European Parliament,

• –having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Belarus,
• –having regard to the parliamentary elections and the constitutional referendum which took place in Belarus on 17 October 2004,
• –having regard to the Conclusions adopted by the Council on 22 November 2004,
• –having regard to the common position adopted by the Council on 13 December 2004,
• –having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the European Union and the international observers declared the recent parliamentary elections and the referenda on the extension of presidential term as not fulfilling the democratic criteria,

B.  whereas authorities in Belarus have ignored appeals from the international community and continue their action against the opposition, imprisoning leaders, repressions against protesters and undertake steps to delegalize opposition parties,

C.  whereas numerous opposition activists and journalists have been sentenced, among them former Minister of Former Economic Relations Mikhail Marynich and leaders of the entrepreneurs movement Valery Levonevsky, Alexandr Vasilyev,

C.  whereas severe repressions, including arrests and high financial punishments were applied against small shopkeepers protesting against the fiscal policy of the government,

D.  whereas an independent report from the human rights group Charta 97 lists in 2004 around 2.500 arrest cases and legal sentences of opposition participants, demonstrators people distributing independent press,

E.  whereas over the past few years more than 50 NGOs and almost all independent media have been closed « for technical reasons », full control over TV and radio is kept by the government and only one oppositional newspaper is tolerated by the authorities,

F.  whereas no steps were undertaken in order to investigate cases of « disappearance » of opposition activists,

1.  Strongly condemns all actions undertaken by the government of Belarus aiming at eliminating oppositional parties, NGOs and independent media;

2.  Reiterates that President Alexander Lukashenko has no constitutional basis to stand as a candidate in the 2006 elections;

3.  Calls on the government of Belarus to release all political prisoners, especially Mikhail Marynich, Valery Levonevsky and Alexandr Vasilyev;

4.  Calls on the government of Belarus to conduct transparent investigations concerning the disappearance of Yuri Zakharenko, Victor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky and Dmitry Zavadski;

5.  Calls on the Belarussian authorities to stop repression against shopkeepers and protest leaders and to allow them to express their views freely;

6.  Calls on the Council and the Member States to consider the possibility of freezing all the financial assets of president Lukashenko and high Belarussian officials;

7.  Supports the action plan adopted by the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Belarus and reiterates its call on the Council and the Commission to support independent broadcasting to the citizens of Belarus and the creation of a educational programme which would grant scholarships for young people and students from Belarus who would like to study in the European Union, and financial support to academic institutions that are prepared to host students from Belarus;

5.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of Belarus and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE and of the Council of Europe.