The European Union will take a single decision on the Belarusian situation by February, if the Belarusian authorities don't change their stance. "The issue is very sensitive to the country, which is part of our Neighbourhood Policy. And, of course, there may arise complicated circumstances and consequences," the head of the EU Delegation in Russia Fernando Valenzuela said on January 19.
«The situation in Belarus is very serious. We believe that there were very serious violations of the principles of a particular importance for us. But at the moment there is no consolidated action by the EU, it is being worked out though. Some decisions are possible to be made at the end of this month if some major changes in positions of the Belarusian side don’t take place earlier,» RIA «Novosti» quoted a diplomat.
As Telegraf previously reported, Strasbourg welcomed the plenary session of the European Parliament to adopt a resolution on the situation in Belarus on January 17. As stated by Dmitri Muratov,the editor in chief of Russian newspaper «Novaya Gazeta,» after talking with the authors of the draft document, the resolution provides «unprecedented» sanctions against the Belarusian authorities.
It is already the 13th resolution, adopted by the legislative body of the EU on Belarus. However, the fate of the proposed measures will already be determined by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union, scheduled for January 31.
Meanwhile, Poland imposed sanctions against the Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko and several hundred officials, participating in the persecution of the opposition in connection with Minsk massive demonstrations in December.
According to lawyers, the number of accused in a criminal case on the riots in Minsk on December 19 reached 32 people, 28 of them have been detained, four — under a recognizance not to leave, another 16 have the status of suspects, including five men in custody, ten under travel restrictions and two more outside the country. Five ex-presidential candidates are among the defendants. Ales Michalevic, Vladimir Niakliaeu, Andrei Sannikov and Nikolai Statkevich are in the KGB jail. Vital Rymasheuski was released from prison on January 1 on his own recognizance not to leave.
The other defendants are the representatives of the candidates’ election headquarters, social activists, journalists and a former police officer.
