During the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe session, where the delegation of the Coordination Council of Belarus participated for the first time in history, a resolution titled "Urgent Need for Free and Fair Elections in Belarus" was unanimously adopted. Delegates from the faction "Latushka Team and Movement for Freedom" proposed two significant amendments to the resolution.
First of all, the resolution clearly emphasizes the non-recognition of the farce organized by Lukashenko under the guise of elections, and the Assembly stresses the lack of grounds to recognize Lukashenko’s legitimacy. The resolution text states:
"In a context where freedoms of speech, assembly, and association are restricted; opposition political parties are dissolved, and their leaders persecuted; media freedom is not upheld; there are no mechanisms to challenge these violations, and independent national and international election observation is not permitted — it is evident that free and fair elections are impossible."
"The Assembly calls on the member states of the Council of Europe to reject the legitimacy of the so-called elections in Belarus on January 26, 2025, to clearly declare the non-recognition of the election of Alexander Lukashenko as President of Belarus, and to take decisive steps to expand and strengthen targeted sanctions against the regime and those supporting its illegal activities".
"We believe that there are no grounds to recognize the legitimacy of Alexander Lukashenko as President."
The resolution particularly emphasizes the importance of ending repression and releasing political prisoners:
"The Assembly calls for the cessation of all repressive measures aimed at suppressing dissent, ensuring the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners, and their rehabilitation. It calls for amnesty for all those arrested for political reasons".
The "Latushka Team and Movement for Freedom" faction proposed two amendments to the resolution, addressing support for institutions alternative to Lukashenko's regime and bringing Lukashenko to justice.
The first: "The Assembly once again reaffirms its strong commitment to supporting the rights, freedoms, and security of the Belarusian people, expressing solidarity with all those who have suffered from the crimes of Lukashenko's regime. It also reaffirms its support for the Belarusian democratic forces led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and their structures — the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the Coordination Council as the elected representative body of Belarusian democratic society, which are leading efforts to build a democratic future for Belarus."
The second: "To promote justice and accountability for crimes against humanity committed against Belarusians by the highest military-political leadership of Belarus. To support the referral of the situation in Belarus by the Lithuanian government to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court".
"The Latushka Team and Movement for Freedom is systematically working to implement the program presented during the elections to the Coordination Council — to achieve the prosecution of Lukashenko for crimes against the Belarusian people", — emphasized the leader of the faction "Latushka Team and Movement for Freedom" stated Pavel Latushka.
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