MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th December, 2020) The European Union and the United Nations Human Rights Council should work together to collect evidence of alleged crimes committed against citizens in Belarus, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said on Monday.
On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed concerns about the alleged torture of Belarusians detained during anti-government protests, urging Minsk to stop regular crackdowns on protests.
"Atrocities by outgoing #Belarus regime continue. Perpetrators must be kept accountable, #sanctions expanded also to entities. #EU working together with #UN Human Rights experts can play a role in collecting evidence for crimes committed. Belarusian people need our support," Linkevicius wrote on Twitter.
Mass protests began in Belarus after the presidential election on August 9, which, according to the official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, securing himself a sixth consecutive term in office. The opposition refused to recognize the results, claiming electoral fraud.
The European Union has already slapped sanctions on roughly 55 officials, linked to Lukashenko, accusing them of repression against peaceful demonstrators and opposition members. In November, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia imposed sanctions on 28 more people involved in violence against protesters in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities have� repeatedly said that anti-government demonstrations in the republic were being coordinated from abroad and insisted on the legitimacy of the election.
