Tsikhanouskaya: Lukashenko trading prisoners for sanctions relief, but war sanctions must stay
The U.S. sanctions imposed on the Belarusian leadership for human rights violations can be used to secure the release of people, while European sanctions were introduced over Belarus's complicity in the war against Ukraine, and there can be no question of lifting them until the war ends, head of the United Transitional Cabinet of the Belarusian democratic opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has said.
"Most American sanctions were imposed for human rights violations in Belarus. And they can, in principle, be used to secure the release of people. At the same time, European sanctions were imposed over Lukashenko's complicity in the war. Therefore, these sanctions must in no way be used to appease Lukashenko," Tsikhanouskaya said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
According to her, when the humanitarian track for the release of political prisoners began in cooperation with the American side, "it was immediately clear that Lukashenko was releasing people not because he had become humane or compassionate, but because he wanted to sell political prisoners."
"And we all understand that President Trump has a more transactional approach, and he publicly stated that Lukashenko must release 1,300 people. And they are moving along this humanitarian track," the opposition leader said.
Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the scheme that had been developed, "which we ask our partners to support: American sanctions for freeing people, European sanctions for freeing the country."
"Because at the moment some people are being released, but twice as many are being imprisoned. This is a conveyor belt that must be stopped. And when we talk about freeing the country, we mean ending repression, starting a dialogue between democratic forces and representatives of the regime, a national dialogue to which we aspire. Then it will be clear what can be used. And, of course, the war must end. Belarus must no longer be used either logistically or infrastructurally for Putin's purposes. Only then can we talk about lifting sanctions," she said.
Tsikhanouskaya thanked European partners and Ukraine in particular for their principled position "that Lukashenko cannot be re-educated, that his crimes cannot be tolerated, and that only pressure works with dictators."
