On 9 August 2026, the European External Action Service (EEAS) issued a statement marking the sixth anniversary of Belarus's fraudulent presidential elections, reiterating the EU's call for the immediate and unconditional release of more than 800 arbitrarily detained political prisoners and for an end to the systematic repression that has continued unabated since 2020. The statement, released by the EEAS Press Team, also condemned the ongoing persecution of human rights defenders, journalists, independent trade unionists, cultural actors and civil society representatives both inside and outside Belarus, and called on the Belarusian authorities to cease their support for Russia's war against Ukraine and their involvement in hybrid attacks at the EU's external borders, including the instrumentalisation of migrants.
The statement comes as the EU continues to back Belarusian civil society and democratic forces, having mobilised €200 million since 2020 to support students, researchers, artists, professionals, independent media and human rights defenders. While acknowledging the release of a number of political prisoners over the past year, the EEAS noted that new arrests have been made and that many detainees remain held in appalling conditions, in isolation, and subject to ill-treatment and torture, with no access to essential health services. The EU also reiterated its call for an end to the practice of forcibly expelling released prisoners or using administrative harassment to pressure them to leave Belarus, and for a genuine and inclusive national dialogue.
The statement reaffirms the EU's unwavering support for the Belarusian people's quest for a free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe. It also underscores the EU's commitment to holding those responsible for human rights violations, transnational repression and abuses to account. The EEAS statement is a diplomatic declaration without new policy measures, but it reinforces the EU's longstanding position on Belarus, which has been marked by successive sanctions packages and support programmes since the 2020 crackdown. The EU's approach balances firm condemnation of the Lukashenko regime's actions with continued financial and political support for Belarusian civil society, though critics note that the bloc's leverage over Minsk remains limited given Belarus's close alignment with Russia. The statement's impact is primarily symbolic, serving to keep international attention on the situation and to reassure Belarusian democratic forces of EU solidarity, while the practical effects depend on the EU's ability to translate its declarations into sustained pressure and assistance.