BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2020) EU foreign ministers consider the results of the election in Belarus rigged and do not accept them, demanding to ensure a transparent investigation into the violence against peaceful protesters and planning to return to the consideration of their relations with Minsk on August 27-28 at an informal meeting in Berlin, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement on Friday after the Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
"The Ministers reiterated that the elections were neither free nor fair. The European Union considers the results to have been falsified and therefore does not accept the results of the election as presented by the Belarus Central Election Commission," the statement says.
The ministers again called on the Belarusian authorities to stop violence against peaceful protesters, it says.
"The EU expects the authorities to release immediately all unlawfully detained persons. In light of shocking reports of inhumane treatment and detention conditions, the European Union expects a thorough and transparent investigation into all alleged abuses, in order to hold those responsible to account," the EEAS said
The ministers also noted that "agreed on the need to sanction those responsible for violence, repression and the falsification of election results."
"The work on additional listings within the existing sanctions framework for Belarus will start immediately," the document says.
EU foreign ministers also urged the Belarusian authorities to probe the unjustified use of violence against peaceful demonstrators and bring the perpetrators to justice.
"In light of shocking reports of inhumane treatment and detention conditions, the European Union expects a thorough and transparent investigation into all alleged abuses, in order to hold those responsible to account," the document says.
The European Union will offer support to the Belarusian authorities in establishing a dialogue with the opposition and civil society, it says.
The ministers agreed to return to consideration of relations between the EU and Belarus at an upcoming informal meeting at the end of August, it also says.
