unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Juozas Olekas
Country: Spain
Language: LT

Todėl būtina, kad Europos Sąjunga toliau stiprintų sankcijas Baltarusijai už žmogaus teisių pažeidimus. Kiekvienas režimo atstovas turi pajusti, kad kiekvienas nusižengimas žmogiškumui grįš jam bumerangu naujų sankcijų ir suvaržymų pavidalu. Europos Sąjunga taip pat turi sustiprinti pagalbą Baltarusijos pilietinei visuomenei, o politinių kalinių ir jų šeimų narių reabilitacijai ir pagalbai turi būti įsteigtas specialus fondas.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Petras Auštrevičius
Country: Lithuania
Language: EN

Its anger is directed against critics and free thinkers who aspire a different future for Belarus, a democratic and European future. The arrest of Maryna Adamavich, the wife of Mikalai Statkevich, as well as the wives and mothers of other political prisoners, demands an appropriate response from the European Union. We must also react to the nuclear dangers posed by the Lukashenka regime, such as unsafe nuclear power plant in Astravets and the deployment of the Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. I call on the EU High Representative, Mr Borrell, to take an active role in reducing the number of Belarusian diplomats in Brussels and to ensure that a number of Belarusian physical and legal persons, enablers of Lukashenka regime are included in the EU’s 13th sanctions package.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Viola von Cramon-Taubadel
Country: Ireland
Language: DE

Lukaschenko jagt jeden und alles, was ihm verdächtig erscheint. Er befiehlt seinem Militär sogar, auf unbewaffnete Zivilisten zu schießen – ein klares Zeichen für den grausamen Wahn. In der verkehrten Welt des Diktators sind Spenden für die Freiheit ein Zeichen für Extremismus. Zivilcourage ist Verrat und Friedensliebe Terrorismus. Lukaschenko hat die Besten der Besten in den Kerker geworfen – Intellektuelle, Journalistinnen, Menschenrechtsanwälte, Unternehmerinnen, Wissenschaftlerinnen. In der Zwischenzeit hat er Belarus an Putin verkauft und es zu einer brutalen Waffe gegen die Ukraine gemacht. Aktuell plant Lukaschenko die nächste Farce: Wahlen – an denen demokratische Kräfte gar nicht teilnehmen dürfen. Ja, Lukaschenkos Regime wird zusammenbrechen, sobald Putin fällt. Aber darauf alleine sollten wir uns nicht verlassen. Wir können mehr tun, um Lukaschenko für all die Verbrechen, die er in den letzten 27 Jahren begangen hat, zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen. Es ist an der Zeit, entschlossen zu handeln und Sanktionen zu verhängen, die ihm und seinen Helfershelfern wirklich wehtun.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Helmut Scholz
Country: Luxembourg
Language: DE

Denn allen ist klar, was die politische Realität in dem Land kennzeichnet: das Verbot und die Auflösung aller Oppositionsparteien; die im Januar und Februar wiederholte und verschärfte – wiederholte und willkürliche – Verhaftung und Vertreibung hunderter Oppositioneller, Journalisten und Journalistinnen – einschließlich ihrer Angehörigen, insbesondere der weiblichen; stetig verschärfte Repressionen gegen aktive Gewerkschaften, Medien, Kunst und Kultur; eine Atmosphäre der Einschüchterung und Verunsicherung vieler Menschen im Land; das Unrecht gegenüber mindestens 1 500 politischen Gefangenen – viele von ihnen schwer krank und misshandelt. All dies sind Angriffe auf international verbriefte persönliche und politische Rechte der Menschen in Belarus. Und die Einschüchterung soll weiter vorangetrieben werden. Wir sagen deshalb laut und deutlich: Dieser Irrfahrt muss ein Ende gesetzt werden! Statt Machterhalt für das Regime muss es wieder um Zukunftsperspektiven, um ein souveränes und demokratisches Belarus gehen. Bleiben wir gerade deshalb in Kontakt mit den Menschen im Land, mit der belarussischen Gesellschaft. Nutzen wir die wenigen noch bleibenden Brückenpfeiler, um all jene im Land zu unterstützen, die einen Weg aus der aktuellen Sackgasse gehen wollen. Setzen wir all unser Gewicht ein, damit die konkreten Belange der Menschen im Land nicht vergessen werden.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Eugen Tomac
Political group: PPE
Country: France
Language: RO

Este limpede că acest criminal, care se află practic într-o competiție continuă cu cei de la Kremlin, face tot ce-i stă în putință pentru a comite orori, pentru a umili cetățeni, pentru a reprima opoziția și este de datoria noastră să îi asigurăm că suntem alături și că vom face tot ceea ce trebuie pentru ca Lukașenko într-o zi să răspundă pentru toate aceste crime.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Isabel Santos
Political group: S-D
Country: Hungary
Language: PT

Mais de 1 500 pessoas continuam detidas desde as eleições de 2020. Entretanto, os familiares destes presos políticos estão a ser perseguidos e detidos nos últimos tempos. Daqui a poucos dias, a Bielorrússia irá a eleições, mais uma vez. E, mais uma vez, eleições-fantoche, eleições que não passam de um ato de fachada para o qual a OSCE ou a OSCE-ODIR não foram convidadas. Pois claro, convém fazer eleições à porta fechada, longe dos olhares dos observadores internacionais.  Todos sabemos que este ato eleitoral não tem as mínimas condições, porque não há condições mínimas de democraticidade quando os opositores estão detidos e os partidos estão liquidados. Resta-nos apoiar a sociedade civil e sancionar fortemente Lukashenko.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Heidi Hautala
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Poland
Language: EN

There is more we can do in our partnership with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the opposition. She is calling us for making our relationship closer with the democratic Belarus. We can bring our relationship to a new level. We must support Belarusian democratic forces in trying to find a situation where the EU can issue the passports to the Belarusian democratic forces in exile, so that they can travel. Indeed, she is a very good partner to us and we must continue to tighten our relationship with her.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: PL

Kraje Unii Europejskiej nie tylko winny być zbulwersowane tym okrucieństwem, ale także powinny wezwać do natychmiastowego, bezwarunkowego uwolnienia zatrzymanych krewnych więźniów politycznych.  W tym samym czasie do sprawy 20 znanych białoruskich politologów, dziennikarzy i ekspertów, tzw. analityków Cichanouskiej, dodano dodatkowe zarzuty. Są oni sądzeni zaocznie i mogą zostać pozbawieni białoruskiego obywatelstwa, jeśli zostaną skazani.  Te przestępstwa muszą spotkać się z dodatkową reakcją Unii Europejskiej i całego cywilizowanego świata w postaci zwiększonej presji na reżim w formie sankcji. Skala naruszeń praw człowieka na Białorusi jest tak duża, że według Wysokiego Komisarza ONZ ds. Praw Człowieka niektóre z tych czynów można uznać za zbrodnie przeciwko ludzkości.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: NI
Country: France
Language: IT

Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, blitz nella notte, interrogatori in condizioni disumane, lavori forzati, ritorsioni sui familiari e su chiunque abbia offerto aiuto ai quasi 1 500 detenuti politici. Il modus operandi del comitato di sicurezza statale bielorusso, il tristemente noto KGB, ricorda spaventosamente bene quello del suo omonimo predecessore. La complicità attiva di Lukashenko nella criminale invasione dell'Ucraina è la prova inconfutabile di quanto ancora oggi dobbiamo combattere. Ecco perché chiedo con forza al Consiglio e a tutti gli Stati membri di imporre immediatamente ulteriori sanzioni a quanti si macchiano quotidianamente di questi crimini intollerabili, calpestando i diritti umani, e di profondere ogni sforzo per assicurare che i colpevoli vadano di fronte alla Corte penale internazionale. La Bielorussia non può essere relegata a una periferia sottomessa alle criminali ambizioni imperiali di Mosca. Di questo Putin e Lukashenko devono stare assolutamente certi. Noi ci batteremo al fianco della sua società civile fino a quando non sarà un libero e democratico Stato membro dell'Unione europea, fino a quando la bandiera rossa e bianca non sventolerà a Minsk. La vostra libertà è la nostra libertà.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Stanislav Polčák
Political group: PPE
Country: Czechia
Language: CS

Pane předsedající, opět se důrazně zastáváme běloruských občanů, pronásledovaných členů opozice, novinářů, jejich rodin a vlastně celé běloruské občanské společnosti. Důrazně odsuzujeme další vlnu hromadného zatýkání v Bělorusku. Naléhavě vyzýváme nelegitimní Lukašenkův režim, aby zastavil represe. Režim musí jednoznačně bezpodmínečně propustit všechny neoprávněné vězněné, více než 1 400 politických vězňů.  Žádáme Radu a Komisi, aby reagovaly uvalením přísnějších sankcí na Lukašenkův režim v důsledku nedávných akcí, včetně sankcí proti zboží zahrnujícímu nucenou práci politických vězňů, přísnějších finančních sankcí a sankcí vůči jednotlivcům odpovědným za závažné porušování lidských práv. Běloruská opozice ani běloruští občané nejsou sami. My jsme s nimi, ale důrazně odsuzujeme běloruský nelegitimní Lukašenkův režim.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Leszek Miller
Political group: S-D
Country: France
Language: PL

Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Koleżanki i Koledzy! Ponieważ na Białorusi zbliżają się wybory parlamentarne i samorządowe, reżim w Mińsku postanowił po raz kolejny pokazać Europie i światu, że żadne standardy demokratyczne ani prawa człowieka w tym kraju nie obowiązują. Ponieważ liderzy opozycji, a właściwie wszyscy ci, którzy w jakikolwiek sposób sprzeciwili się Łukaszence, siedzą już w więzieniach, to reżim postanowił także represjami objąć rodziny. Większość z 200 zatrzymanych ostatnio to matki i żony więźniów politycznych. To bezprzykładny przejaw skrajnego okrucieństwa w stosunku do własnych obywateli, w stosunku do narodu białoruskiego. Najwyższy czas, żeby ilość rezolucji Parlamentu Europejskiego dotyczących Białorusi, a przyjmowaliśmy tych rezolucji wiele, zaczęła przechodzić w jakość, a konkretnie w działania państw Unii Europejskiej. Same wezwania, kolejne deklaracje i potępienia reżimu w Mińsku, jak widać, nie wystarczą.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Markéta Gregorová
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, dear colleagues, the fraud elections in Belarus are coming. One would think Lukashenka gives up this charade after 30 years, but no, he has to pretend he still has power over the country. And thus the authorities got inspired in Russia and North Korea, I guess, and intensified their oppression of journalists, lawyers, activists and even families of those who ran away. As if people in Belarus would not know, without mass protests in the streets, that the system is rigged and Lukashenka should be out. As if we here in the European Union could acknowledge his regime this time around if only he silenced all opposition. No, no, no, no, no! Our sanctions will remain. Our support to opposition remains, and our help to get people out and grant them asylum and support remains. Let’s have a coordinated response at the European level. Lukashenkas and Putins of this world shall soon run out of breath. The civil society shall prevail.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Seán Kelly
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: EN

Mr President, we have been bearing witness to Lukashenka’s regime increasingly close further and further in on civic space in Belarus and this latest wave of mass arrests and arbitrary detentions on trumped-up charges further proves his determination to crack down on any fundamental freedoms which remain in the country and tighten his authoritative grip over the people of Belarus. The rights to freedom of expression, of assembly and freedom against torture and arbitrary detention are bastions of a democratic and free society, and rights which the European Union has committed itself to protecting. We have a duty, therefore, to stand up against these injustices against the people of Belarus when we see them. So, I reiterate the resolution’s call for decisive and immediate action from the High Representative, Mr Borrell, and the Council to place sanctions on the Lukashenka regime in Belarus, which, after all, he has turned into only a vassal state of Putin’s.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Karen Melchior
Political group: Renew
Country: Estonia
Language: EN

Mr President, the title of the resolution is ‘on the new wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family’. It’s not really new, just a new wave of mass arrests. It’s Lukashenka’s election campaign. It’s not a coincidence that it comes now, just before the so-called elections on 25 February. Lukashenka is so scared of his own population that he needs to not only arrest politicians, but also their families; not only politicians, but also anybody that raises their voice for freedom in Belarus, including analysts and experts. We must continue to show our support and take actions of support. We must continue to support freedom and democracy in Belarus by imposing sanctions on the Lukashenka regime. It is not a day too soon. It has been going on for nearly 30 years. We need to stop the last dictatorship in Europe.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Madam President, there is no doubt about it, there are considerable problems with the prison conditions in Belarus: widespread allegations of poor treatment, failure to access medicine, sufficient food and family visits, and widespread arbitrary arrest on tenuous grounds, often for being foreign agents. We ourselves have made repeated requests to go and see the labour and workers’ leaders Henadz Fiadynich, Vasil Berasneu and Vatslau Areshka, requests which have been denied by the Belarusian authorities, a situation which has happened to us in no other state begs the question: why were those visits not being facilitated? I think that, while asking those questions and liking to see these issues put the spotlight on, we have to say that it’s very regrettable that our credibility in raising these issues is seriously undermined by the fact that, inside the EU, we also have people arbitrarily arrested who are opposition journalists and so on. People like Pablo González, now two years in prison in Poland, that also is not on.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Michaela Šojdrová
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: EN

Mr President, dear colleagues, the last debate we had on the worsening situation of political prisoners in Belarus was in December. Again, persecutions escalate. Now Lukashenka’s regime is systematically targeting family members of political prisoners, mostly wives and mothers. We again urge Lukashenka to release all political prisoners, their families and the detained persons. Moreover, Lukashenka’s regime has been involved in a forced transfer of Ukrainian children, which is a war crime. Same as Putin, we need to treat Lukashenka also as a war criminal. At this point, it is clear that the upcoming Belarusian election will not meet worldwide standards. That is why we call on the EU, its Member States and the international community not to recognise the results. The High Representative and the Council need to impose stronger sanctions on the Lukashenka regime. We will learn something from Putin’s war: the sanctions are working.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

The EU firmly reacts to these developments with public statements, sanctions, solidarity with political prisoners and their families, and by supporting the work on accountability. We continue to call on the regime to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners. In his latest statement on 25 January, the High Representative condemned this new wave of repressions and the detention of over 200 people, mostly women, relatives of political prisoners. There are nearly 1 500 political prisoners currently detained in Belarus, many of them kept incommunicado for weeks, months and even years, many without access to legal representation and appropriate medical care, deprived of their fundamental rights and submitted to ill treatment or torture. The EU has introduced restrictive measures against the perpetrators of human rights violations, judges, prosecutors, heads of penal colonies and members of the regime’s security services. We are committed to work on further listings. We are mobilising all tools to address the situation of political prisoners. The EU delegation in Minsk regularly requests information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and on the conditions of prominent political prisoners kept incommunicado. We also ask to visit political prisoners, however, to no avail. The minimum we can do is to continue showing our solidarity with political prisoners, notably by standing in front of courts during their trials. We also support families of political prisoners and work to ensure the rehabilitation of those who have served their sentence. I assure you that the EU has been, and will continue to lead the effort to support political prisoners and bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations in Belarus through the International Accountability Platform and in other international fora. We have respect and admiration for the people of Belarus and their exceptional courage and dignity. We use every opportunity to convey to the Belarusian people our support for their quest for free, democratic, sovereign and independent Belarus as part of a peaceful and prosperous Europe.
Debate: New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Rainer Wieland
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Die Aussprache ist geschlossen. Zum Abschluss der Aussprache wurden 6 Entschließungsanträge eingereicht. Die Abstimmung findet morgen, Donnerstag, den 8. Februar 2024, statt.
Debate: Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Rainer Wieland
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über sechs Entschließungsanträge zu dem Thema „Die gestiegene Zahl von Hinrichtungen in Iran, insbesondere der Fall Mohammad Ghobadlu“ (
Debate: Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Evin Incir
Country: Hungary
Language: EN

On 23 January, the bloodthirsty regime arbitrarily executed Mohammad Ghobadlou, a young man with a disability that took part in the protest against the regime and for a democratic country. On the same day also the Kurdish Farhad Salimi was arbitrarily executed. The regime sends over and over again a clear signal. It is ruthless. Time is ticking. Executions are irreversible. Many are facing, or are at risk of facing, the death penalty, especially those that are taking part in the democratic revolution. And minority groups such as Kurds, Baloch Baha’is are continuing to be disproportionately affected. Time is ticking. The Swedish citizen Johan Floderus risks being sentenced to the death penalty, and Ahmadreza Djalali is sentenced since 2018. There is no time for if or when ...
Debate: Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Jakop G. Dalunde
Country: Italy
Language: SV

Bara hotet om att dömas till döden är ett hänsynslöst vapen som den iranska regimen håller över huvudet på sina medborgare. Tyvärr är det bara ett av många verktyg de använder för att förtrycka landets befolkning och tysta de modiga röster som vågar göra uppror.  Den 23 januari avrättades den 23-årige Mohammad Ghobadlou efter att ha deltagit i kvinna-liv-frihet-rörelsen. Hans erkännande tvingades fram under tortyr och rättegången var djupt rättsosäker. Att svenska och andra utländska medborgare också hålls godtyckligt fängslade av den iranska regimen är också oacceptabelt.  Mina tankar går särskilt till Johan Floderus och hans familj, efter att åklagaren i Johans fall nyligen yrkat på dödsstraff för påhittade brott. Vi måste skydda dem som lyckats fly och aldrig sluta kämpa för Johan, Ahmad och alla de andra som hålls kvar i fångenskap. För ingen är fri innan alla är fria.
Debate: Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Charlie Weimers
Country: Luxembourg
Language: SV

Mullornas bödlar ska inte tillåtas smida mordplaner på svensk eller europeisk mark. Irans regim kartlägger, planerar och har förmåga att utföra attentat i Europa. Det är dags att sätta hårt mot hårt och terrorlista IRGC. Kräv att alla de som är godtyckligt fängslade i Iran blir frisläppta, inklusive Johan Floderus och Ahmad Reza Djalali. Utöka sanktionerna och inkludera även den högsta ledaren, presidenten och riksåklagaren.
Debate: Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Cornelia Ernst
Country: France
Language: DE

Dazu muss aber auch ein europäischer Abschiebestopp für Iranerinnen und Iraner gehören. Und wir fordern die Mitgliedstaaten auf, endlich, endlich alles zu tun, um ihre Staatsangehörigen aus den iranischen Gefängnissen zu retten, wie den Deutsch-Iraner Jamshid Sharmahd.  Wir stehen an der Seite der Iranerinnen und Iraner, die nichts anderes wollen, als frei leben, frei atmen.
Debate: Increased number of executions in Iran, in particular the case of Mohammad Ghobadlou
Date: WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Antonio López-Istúriz White
Political group: PPE
Country: Estonia
Language: EN

A former Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament, Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face on 9 November 2023 in Madrid, Spain – in Europe. This is happening here; the regime is trying to silence all those who speak the truth, denounce the atrocities and fight for a democratic future in Iran. Mr Borrell, European governments, no more shady deals with the regime.