III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 708 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the political repression in Belarus 

on the two-year anniversary of the August 2020, fraudulent presidential 

election. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 13, 2022 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. TILLIS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. 

VAN HOLLEN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. KAINE, and 

Mr. COONS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the political repression 

in Belarus on the two-year anniversary of the August 

2020, fraudulent presidential election. 

Whereas Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ruled Belarus as an undemocratic dictatorship since the first presidential election in Belarus in 1994, dismantling the democratic institutions of Belarus and seeking to jail those who compete 

against him in presidential elections or protest his authoritarian regime; 

Whereas the Lukashenka regime jailed leading opposition 

candidates that attempted to compete in the August 9, 

2020, presidential election in Belarus; 


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Whereas Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya ran in the August 9, 

2020, presidential election after the jailing of her husband, opposition candidate Siarhei Tsikhanouski, and 

was widely seen as the legitimate winner by the international community; 

Whereas the August 9, 2020, presidential election, in which 

Lukashenka claimed victory, was marred by widespread 

concern over its legitimacy, as noted by the Organization 

for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European 

Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for 

Human Rights, the Department of State, and reputable 

international human rights groups; 

Whereas the Senate, as expressed in Senate Resolution 658 

(116th Congress) and Senate Resolution 345 (117th 

Congress), both of which passed with unanimous support, 

has stated its deep concern regarding the most recent 

fraudulent election that took place in Belarus on August 

9, 2020; 

Whereas, in response to the August 9, 2020, fraudulent presidential election, the people of Belarus staged the largest 

and longest sustained public protests in the history of the 

country, calling for a democratic Belarus; 

Whereas, since the August 9, 2020, fraudulent presidential 

election, the Lukashenka regime has continued to pressure, harass, imprison, and persecute opposition leaders, 

civil society activists, human rights defenders, and independent media; 

Whereas, according to the Viasna Human Rights Centre, the 

Government of Belarus has continued to keep at least 

1,244 people imprisoned on politically motivated charges 

or under false pretense of terrorist threat, including opVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:07 Jul 14, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR708.IS SR708

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position candidate Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison; 

Whereas Russia provided critical support to the Lukashenka 

regime following the repression of the protests that followed the August 9, 2020, fraudulent presidential election, backing the Lukashenka regime’s efforts to prevent 

the emergence of a democratic Belarus, including through 

the provision of financial assistance, propaganda support, 

and offers of military assistance; 

Whereas, on May 23, 2021, the Government of Belarus unlawfully forced the landing of Ryanair Flight 4978 in 

Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Raman 

Pratasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega; 

Whereas, since July 7, 2021, the Government of Belarus has 

weaponized vulnerable migrants by manufacturing a border crisis with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the European Union; 

Whereas, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched an 

unprovoked war against Ukraine, using Belarus as a 

launching pad for its attack; 

Whereas the Lukashenka regime has continued to allow 

Belarus to be used by Russian President Vladimir Putin 

for his illegal and unprovoked war against Ukraine, including via a sham February 27, 2022, constitutional referendum on provisions to enable Belarus to host nuclear 

weapons and undo Belarus’ decades-long commitment to 

neutrality; 

Whereas, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lukashenka 

has met with Vladimir Putin on at least four separate occasions, including most recently on June 25, 2022, when 


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Putin pledged to supply Belarus with missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons; 

Whereas, despite support from the Lukashenka regime for 

Putin’s war in Ukraine, hundreds of brave Belarusians 

have joined together to defend Ukraine, both on the battlefield in Ukraine and in the disruption of Russian supply lines; 

Whereas the United States and allies of the United States 

have imposed sanctions on the Lukashenka regime for 

the August 9, 2020, fraudulent presidential election and 

ensuing repression as well as support for Putin’s war in 

Ukraine; 

Whereas, on December 15, 2020, Julie Fisher was confirmed 

by the Senate as Ambassador to Belarus, but her credentials were not accepted by the Lukashenka regime, resulting in President’s Biden decision in October 2021 to appoint Mrs. Fisher as Special Envoy for Belarus; and 

Whereas Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana 

Tsikhanouskaya, in exile in Lithuania, continues to represent the widely shared desire of the Belarusian people 

for free and fair elections and democracy: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) continues, on the second anniversary of the 

3 fraudulent presidential election that took place in 

4 Belarus on August 9, 2020, to refuse to recognize 

5 Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the legitimately elected 

6 leader of Belarus; 


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1 (2) condemns the ongoing harassment and per2 secution of opposition leaders, civil society activists, 

3 human rights defenders, and independent media car4 ried out by the Lukashenka regime, and urges the 

5 immediate release, without preconditions, of all polit6 ical prisoners in Belarus, including Siarhei 

7 Tsikhanouski, as well as for all representatives of 

8 democratic forces, civil society, and independent 

9 media in exile to be able to return home without fear 

10 of persecution or prosecution; 

11 (3) calls for new presidential and parliamentary 

12 elections to be held in Belarus, conducted in a man13 ner that meets international standards and includes 

14 independent election monitoring; 

15 (4) condemns the shameful and self-serving 

16 support provided by the Lukashenka regime for 

17 Russian President Putin’s savage war in Ukraine; 

18 (5) welcomes continued and coordinated sanc19 tions imposed by the United States and European 

20 Union and other tools to support democracy in 

21 Belarus; 

22 (6) recognizes the extraordinary support offered 

23 by the Governments of Lithuania, Poland, and 

24 Ukraine to support the people of Belarus, including 

25 support for the political opposition, accommodation 


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1 of political refugees, and backing of independent 

2 media; 

3 (7) encourages President Biden to swiftly ap4 point a new Special Envoy for Belarus to support 

5 the pro-democracy movement; and 

6 (8) stands in solidarity with the many brave 

7 Belarusians, such as Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who 

8 continue to strive for a free and democratic Belarus. 

Æ 


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