New Belarus Democracy Act published

On June 7, a new Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act was published. In May, the bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. It should adjust the Act of 2004, taking into account the participation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka's regime in Russia's war against Ukraine, in the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children, in provocations with the use of migrants on the border between Belarus and the EU countries.

The Democracy Act calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Belarus (there are about 1,400 of them), to stop using Belarusian territory for Russian aggression against Ukraine, to bring Lukashenka and his accomplices to justice through international justice.

“I am confident that this document plays an important role in supporting the democratic forces of Belarus by putting political, economic and moral pressure on Lukashenka's regime, promoting international solidarity and efforts for democratic transformation in our country,” said Valer Kavaleuski , deputy head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus. 

"With this document, the U.S. Congress condemns the Lukashenka regime for election fraud, repression, deployment of Russian nuclear weapons, the presence of Russian troops on the territory of Belarus, support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and participation in the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children from the Russian-occupied territories to Belarus, the detention of political prisoners, the use of migrants as a weapon to destabilize the borders of Poland and Lithuania,” he said.

The United States not only expresses solidarity with the Belarusian people, but also demands that those responsible for human rights violations and support for Russia's aggression be held accountable. “This creates legal and moral grounds for prosecuting the guilty parties and promotes justice,” Kavaleuski commented.

The U.S. Congress calls not to recognize the regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka and to support the holding of free and fair elections in Belarus in accordance with OSCE standards (including the presidential election in 2025), to recognize the Coordinating Council and the United Transitional Cabinet as “legitimate institutions for dialogue on the peaceful transfer of power and to support them in this process,” and to raise with international organizations the issue of  Belarusian citizens abroad being deprived of consular services. The U.S. government favors the continuation of targeted sanctions against Lukashenka's regime.

The first Belarus Democracy Act was passed by the US Congress in 2004. The previous one was adopted in December 2020 on the wave of protests in Belarus. The current document is the fifth.