The attention of PACE to the situation in Belarus is extremely important

Illustrative photo

Theses of the Speech by Pavel Latushka, Delegate of the Coordination Council and Member of the Belarusian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, at the meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy during the PACE Winter Plenary Session (26–30 January 2026)

28 January 2026

I fully support the rapporteur’s statement. The Lukashenko regime does not stop the repression.

It is the largest repression in Europe in recent decades. The number of political prisoners is about 1,150 people. Every month, around 40 new people become political prisoners.

Despite the efforts of the United States to free political prisoners, even more people are recognized as new political prisoners. It looks like a conveyor belt. Just before today’s meeting, the human rights center “Viasna” recognized 8 new Belarusians as political prisoners.

In Belarus, more than 2,000 NGOs no longer work. All political parties and independent media have been shut down. The country is under total control. The regime controls all areas of life and society.

For us, the attention of PACE to the situation in Belarus is very important.

The Lukashenko regime continues to support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.It also carries out hybrid attacks against Lithuania and Poland.

The regime persecutes Belarusians outside the country. According to the UN, at least 800,000 Belarusians have left the country since 2020.

I ask my colleagues in PACE to speak about Belarus and not to forget about political prisoners.

We hope that the report will be adopted at the spring session of PACE.

---