European Parliament condemns imprisonment of Aliaksandra Pulinovich and calls for bolder EU action against Lukashenka regime

On 18 June, the European Parliament strongly condemned the continued repression of political prisoners in Belarus, highlighting the case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich.

Pulinovich was detained in 2024 at the age of 16, and sentenced to more than ten years in prison after being accused of involvement in anti-war graffiti actions in the ‘Black Nightingales’ case.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called for the immediate and unconditional release of Pulinovich and all political prisoners, condemning the Belarusian authorities’ misuse of anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to criminalise anti-war expression and solidarity with Ukraine, and to silence peaceful dissent, including among young people. 

MEPs also denounced the ongoing ill-treatment of detainees and urged the authorities to end torture, incommunicado detention, denial of medical care, and restrictions on access to lawyers and family members, and to investigate deaths in custody and allegations of torture.

The European Parliament stressed that the release of all political prisoners and an end to repression remained prerequisites for any meaningful political dialogue or economic cooperation with Belarus. 

MEPs also called on the EU and international partners to step up efforts to secure the release of all political prisoners, strengthen and strictly enforce targeted sanctions against those responsible for repression, and support international accountability efforts for crimes committed by the Lukashenka regime. The resolution was adopted by 504 votes in favour and 4 against, with 55 abstentions.

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