Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Collins and Pringle for raising this important issue. As the Deputies have stated, I will take the matter on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin.

The deterioration of the human rights situation in Belarus is gravely concerning. Reports of the continued use of torture and ill-treatment against those in custody and the especially harsh detention conditions for political prisoners is deeply alarming.

The Government and the EU have been working intensively to respond to the situation in Belarus by providing support to those who have been affected by the campaign of repression targeted against protestors and dissidents and by sanctioning those who are responsible.

There were 1,481 political prisoners in Belarus as of 13 July 2023 and an estimated 5,000 new politically-motivated criminal trials last year. Some 50,000 politically motivated arrests have been made, more than 11,000 criminal cases are under investigation and 1,405 NGOs have been forced to close by the regime or are undergoing closure.

As the Deputies outlined, the situation for trade union leaders is particularly difficult. The UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus has documented that the Belarusian authorities have intensified their systematic attacks on independent trade unions by subjecting their leaders and members to intimidation and criminal persecution. The UN Special Rapporteur has documented almost 50 trade union activists and heads of independent trade unions who have been placed behind bars in Belarus.

At the Human Rights Council this month, Ireland made national statements, joined an EU statement on the situation in Belarus, and also supported the extension of the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to investigate the situation. Ireland used this process to condemn the systematic repression of civil society organisations and to signal our alarm at reports of the continued use of torture and ill-treatment against those in custody and the especially harsh detention conditions for political prisoners.

We urged Belarus to release unconditionally all political prisoners and to cease harassment and reprisals against individuals exercising their human rights, including trade union leaders. Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic movement of Belarus, last visited Ireland in 2023 to receive the 2022 Tipperary International Peace Prize. During her visits, Ms Tsikhanouskaya met with the President, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, the Ceann Comhairle, the Cathaoirleach and Members of the Oireachtas. Ms Tsikhanouskaya also met with an Oireachtas delegation led by the Ceann Comhairle in recent weeks. We will continue to maintain our support for the work of those who are defending democracy and human rights in Belarus.

Ireland is providing tangible support for Belarusian civil society projects through the European Endowment for Democracy and through the Viasna Human Rights Centre which provides medical, psychological and humanitarian assistance to current and former political prisoners.

Ireland is providing funding to support independent Belarusian media, including approximately €200,000 over 2022 and 2023 to support the continued operations of the Zerkalo.iowebsite, one of the most popular independent online news portals for Belarus. The information provided by independent media such as Zerkalo is vital to counter regime propaganda and provide fact-based reporting to people within and outside Belarus.

Ireland also supports the work of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, a coalition of independent NGOs working to collect, consolidate, verify, and preserve evidence of gross human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the Belarusian authorities in the run-up to the fraudulent 2020 presidential election and its aftermath.

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