Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, opens the plenary session in Strasbourg, speaking about Belarus political prisoners and on the Day of Solidarity with Belarus. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

EU - Belarus (T)

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

Introductory remark by Roberta METSOLA, EP President in support of Belarus political prisoners and on the Day of Solidarity with Belarus

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, I have two announcements. First of all, dear colleagues, on the 25th of February, Belarus held another round of sham parliamentary and local elections on the Lukashenko's brutal regime amid ongoing repression and worsening human rights abuses. This House will never turn a blind eye to Lukashenko's relentless crackdown on dissent and on people being arrested, tortured and imprisoned on politically motivated charges.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, These sham elections were neither free nor fair. They lacked any semblance of democracy. From here, let me reiterate that the European Parliament stands firmly with those pushing for freedom and democracy in Belarus.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, In order to demonstrate our support to the more than 1500 political prisoners in Belarus, I invite all of you, during this plenary session, to sign a postcard addressed to them here in front of the Hemicycle. With this initiative that is being organised as part of the day of solidarity with Belarus, we Members of the European Parliament would yet again express our strong stance with those repressed on political grounds by Lukashenko's regime.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, And to those political prisoners, we say, your name is not forgotten. People across Europe and the world admire your courage. We are with you, and we know that one day soon, your struggle for freedom will succeed.