The European Parliament: "Elections held in a climate of fear and repression cannot be considered fair"

MEPs strongly condemn the situation in Belarus in the run-up to the parliamentary elections and call for the immediate release of political prisoners.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday condemning the ongoing repression in Belarus and calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

MEPs strongly condemned the ongoing repression in Belarus in the run-up to the parliamentary elections and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

The resolution, which was adopted by a show of hands, condemns the "climate of fear and repression" in Belarus, which has seen the arbitrary arrest and detention of opposition candidates, activists, and journalists.

MEPs also expressed their concern about the "unfair and non-transparent" electoral process in Belarus, which they said was "not in line with international standards".

The resolution called on the Belarusian authorities to "immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners", including presidential candidate Viktor Babaryka and his campaign manager Maria Kolesnikova.

MEPs also called on the EU to "impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for human rights violations in Belarus" and to "support the Belarusian people in their fight for democracy and freedom".

The resolution comes ahead of the parliamentary elections in Belarus on 17 November. The elections are widely seen as a test of the Belarusian government's commitment to democratic reforms.

However, the opposition has accused the government of trying to rig the elections, and there are fears that the elections will not be free and fair.

The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to respect human rights and democratic freedoms and to hold free and fair elections.

However, the Belarusian government has ignored these calls, and the situation in the country continues to deteriorate.

The European Parliament's resolution is a strong condemnation of the ongoing repression in Belarus and a call for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

It is also a reminder that the EU stands with the Belarusian people in their fight for democracy and freedom.