Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Neale Hanvey (Scottish National Party). It was answered by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 September 2020 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Belarus

Question: What recent discussions he has had with his Belarusian counterpart on (a) democracy and (b) the rule of law in that country.

Answer: The Government have been clear: we do not accept the results of the fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus. We have strongly condemned the shocking scenes of violence by the authorities in Belarus towards peaceful protestors and the targeting of journalists, including representatives of the BBC. I have raised these concerns with the Foreign Minister of Belarus, and in my statements to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 28 August and to the UN Security Council on 4 September. The Belarusian authorities must be held to account, and we are calling for an independent investigation through the OSCE. We support sanctions, and there must be dialogue between the people of Belarus and the authorities.

Secondary information