Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence John Brady has called for an immediate end to the brutal crackdown being conducted against pro-democracy protesters in Belarus.

Speaking today, Teachta Brady said: “What we are witnessing is the arbitrary and illegal detention of thousands of innocent protesters, with hundreds more being injured by security forces. 

“Verified reports, along with video footage, clearly indicate that those being detained are being subjected to savage beatings.  

“Detainees are being kept in appalling conditions. Amnesty International has stated that there is clear evidence of detainees being tortured.

“Hundreds of thousands of Belarusian citizens have taken to the streets in protest against an election which has been rightly described as neither ‘free nor fair.’ Even in Russia, a close ally of Belarus, close to 80% of people believe that the election was rigged. 

“Members of the police and army are casting their uniforms aside in support of protesters, with the Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia being the first regime official to resign in protest at the rigged election and subsequent response by President Lukashenko.    

“Sinn Féin supports the right of the Belarusian people to elect their own leader, and their own government.

“I call on President Lukashenko to end the crackdown, to engage in dialogue with protesters, and to pledge to hold fresh elections, free from interference, and under the auspices of international observers.”

ENDS