[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S452-S455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN 
                                BELARUS

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 167, S. 
Res. 345.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 345) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate on the political situation in Belarus.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign 
Relations with an amendment to strike all after the resolving clause 
and insert the part printed in italic, and with an amendment to strike 
the preamble and insert the part printed in italic, as follows:
       Whereas the United States Senate has long maintained strong 
     bipartisan concern regarding the troubling lack of democracy 
     in Belarus, highlighted by the passing of the Belarus 
     Democracy Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-347; 22 U.S.C. 5811 
     note);
       Whereas the 116th Congress, as referenced in H.R. 8438, the 
     Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020, 
     and Senate Resolution 658, which both passed with unanimous 
     support, stated its deep concern regarding the fraudulent 
     election in Belarus on August 9, 2020;
       Whereas on September 17, 2020, the Moscow Mechanism of the 
     human dimension of the Organization for Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was invoked by 17 participating 
     states with regard to credible reports of human rights 
     violations before, during, and after the presidential 
     election of August 9, 2020, in Belarus;
       Whereas, following Alyaksandr Lukashenka's inauguration on 
     September 23, 2020, the United States, the European Union, 
     numerous European Union member states, the United Kingdom, 
     and Canada announced they did not recognize the legitimacy of 
     the election results;
       Whereas after the August 9, 2020 presidential election, the 
     Government of Belarus responded to the resulting peaceful 
     protests, the largest in the country's history, with a 
     violent crackdown, including the detention of more than 
     10,000 peaceful protestors, according to the United Nations 
     Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in 
     Belarus;
       Whereas the Government of Belarus, under the misrule of the 
     Lukashenka regime, continues to engage in a pattern of clear 
     and persistent violations of human rights and fundamental 
     freedoms and disrespects the basic principles of democratic 
     governance by subjecting tens of thousands of pro-democracy 
     political activists, peaceful protesters, and ordinary 
     citizens to harassment, beatings, abductions, forced 
     deportations, and imprisonment and by committing acts of 
     transnational repression to punish any dissent expressed by 
     Belarusian citizens;
       Whereas the Lukashenka regime continues to silence 
     independent media, such as Nasha Niva, tut.by, and Belsat, 
     and has unlawfully raided the offices of media outlets, 
     including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and arrested 
     journalists;
       Whereas on September 11, 2020, then-Deputy Secretary of 
     State Stephen Biegun said that ``we stand by our long-term 
     commitment to support the sovereignty of Belarus as well as 
     its territorial integrity, as the aspirations of the 
     Belarusian people to determine their own path remains in 
     front of us'';
       Whereas on May 23, 2021, the Lukashenka regime forced a 
     commercial airliner flying between

[[Page S453]]

     two European Union member states to land in Minsk in order 
     for the regime to arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich and his 
     partner Sofia Sapega, a violation of international law 
     resulting in near universal condemnation from the 
     international community and coordinated sanctions by the 
     United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union;
       Whereas on May 28, 2021, the White House announced the re-
     imposition of full blocking sanctions against nine Belarusian 
     state-owned enterprises and announced a new Executive order 
     to increase sanctions on elements of the Lukashenka regime;
       Whereas the Lukashenka regime has actively encouraged or 
     forced at gunpoint more than 4,000 migrants from other 
     countries to cross through Belarus into European Union member 
     states Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, amounting to people 
     smuggling and obliging these countries to declare a state of 
     emergency;
       Whereas on June 9, 2021, the Committee on Foreign Relations 
     of the Senate held a hearing regarding the political 
     situation in Belarus, in which United States Ambassador to 
     Belarus Julie Fisher testified that ``Despite the oppression, 
     the violence, and the turmoil that followed the events of the 
     past year provide glimmers of hope. A new generation of brave 
     Belarusians, with courageous women at the front, have 
     emerged. They represent a Belarus determined to chart its own 
     path. They represent a Belarus in which wearing a red and 
     white dress, hanging a flag, or playing a particular song 
     will not result in torture, forced confessions, or even 
     death.'';
       Whereas on July 27, 2021, President Biden met Belarusian 
     opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the White House 
     and declared that ``The United States stands with the people 
     of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human 
     rights.'';
       Whereas on August 9, 2021, President Biden--
       (1) announced an Executive order authorizing the imposition 
     of blocking sanctions on certain sectors of the Belarus 
     economy, including the potash, tobacco products, and 
     construction sectors; and
       (2) pursuant to such executive order and Executive Order 
     13405, issued additional sanctions on Belarusian individuals 
     and entities, including Belaruskali (a state-owned potash 
     fertilizer company) and the Belarus National Olympic 
     Committee; and
       Whereas Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana 
     Tsikhanouskaya continues to represent the widely shared 
     desire of the Belarusian people for free and fair elections 
     and democracy: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, [That the Senate--
       [(1) continues, on the first anniversary of the 
     illegitimate presidential election in Belarus on August 9, 
     2020, to refuse to recognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the 
     legitimately elected leader of Belarus;
       [(2) condemns Lukashenka's ongoing crackdown on members of 
     the pro-democracy movement, senior members of the 
     Coordination Council, peaceful protesters, employees from 
     state-owned enterprises participating in strikes, independent 
     election observers, independent journalists and bloggers, 
     medical professionals, professors, teachers, athletes, and 
     cultural leaders;
       [(3) continues to call for the fulfillment by the 
     Government of Belarus of Belarus' freely undertaken 
     obligations as an Organization for Security and Co-operation 
     in Europe (OSCE) member and accept the OSCE's offer to 
     facilitate a national dialogue and fully participate in the 
     OSCE process;
       [(4) calls for new presidential and parliamentary elections 
     to be held in Belarus, conducted in a manner that is free and 
     fair according to OSCE standards and under the supervision of 
     OSCE observers and independent domestic observers;
       [(5) welcomes the United States Government's close 
     coordination with the European Union, the United Kingdom, 
     Canada, other allied and partner countries, and international 
     organizations to promote the principles of democracy, the 
     rule of law, and human rights in Belarus and encourages 
     continued coordination to apply maximal pressure on the 
     Lukashenka regime;
       [(6) continues to call for the immediate release, without 
     preconditions, of all political prisoners in Belarus;
       [(7) welcomes the recent release of Radio Free Europe/Radio 
     Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists Aleh Hruzdzilovich and Ina 
     Studzinskaya and calls for the unconditional release of all 
     political prisoners and journalists detained on dubious 
     charges, including opposition candidates Sergei Tikhanovsky 
     and Viktar Babaryka, pro-democracy activist Maria 
     Kalesnikava, and RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik;
       [(8) condemns the forced diversion of Ryanair Flight 4978 
     to arrest Raman Pratasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega, 
     which violated international civil aviation law and risked 
     the lives of innocent passengers and crew, and calls for 
     their immediate unconditional release;
       [(9) commends the bravery of Belarusians who have created 
     innovative ways to protest Lukashenka's autocracy and 
     applauds the Belarusian diaspora's efforts to maintain 
     international focus on the deteriorating political situation;
       [(10) lauds the extraordinary support offered by the 
     Governments of Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland to support the 
     people of Belarus, including support for the political 
     opposition, accommodation of political refugees, and backing 
     a free media;
       [(11) calls on the Lukashenka regime to immediately halt 
     exploiting and instrumentalizing migrants and to stop 
     directing individuals to Lithuania's borders;
       [(12) welcomes the Executive order announced on August 9, 
     2021, that applies additional sanctions on the Lukashenka 
     regime and urges the Biden Administration to consider all 
     economic, political, and diplomatic tools at its disposal to 
     support democracy in Belarus;
       [(13) welcomes the European Union sanctions imposed on the 
     Lukashenka regime and urges the United States to continue to 
     coordinate additional measures with the European Union; and
       [(14) emphasizes that the United States supports the people 
     of Belarus in their quest to maintain their sovereignty, 
     choose their own leadership, and live in freedom, and 
     recognizes the extensive efforts of the Belarusian opposition 
     to coordinate efforts with the United States, the European 
     Union, the OSCE, and the United Nations to bring free and 
     fair elections to its people.]
       That the Senate--
       (1) continues, on the first anniversary of the illegitimate 
     presidential election in Belarus on August 9, 2020, to refuse 
     to recognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the legitimately 
     elected leader of Belarus;
       (2) condemns Lukashenka's ongoing crackdown on members of 
     the pro-democracy movement, senior members of the 
     Coordination Council, peaceful protesters, employees from 
     state-owned enterprises participating in strikes, independent 
     election observers, independent journalists and bloggers, 
     medical professionals, professors, teachers, athletes, and 
     cultural leaders;
       (3) continues to call for the fulfillment by the Government 
     of Belarus of Belarus' freely undertaken obligations as an 
     Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) 
     member and accept the OSCE's offer to facilitate a national 
     dialogue and fully participate in the OSCE process;
       (4) calls for new presidential and parliamentary elections 
     to be held in Belarus, conducted in a manner that is free and 
     fair according to OSCE standards and under the supervision of 
     OSCE observers and independent domestic observers;
       (5) welcomes the United States Government's close 
     coordination with the European Union, the United Kingdom, 
     Canada, other allied and partner countries, and international 
     organizations to promote the principles of democracy, the 
     rule of law, and human rights in Belarus and encourages 
     continued coordination to apply maximal pressure on the 
     Lukashenka regime;
       (6) continues to call for the immediate release, without 
     preconditions, of all political prisoners in Belarus;
       (7) welcomes the recent release of Radio Free Europe/Radio 
     Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists Aleh Hruzdzilovich and Ina 
     Studzinskaya and calls for the unconditional release of all 
     political prisoners and journalists detained on dubious 
     charges, including opposition candidates Sergei Tikhanovsky 
     and Viktar Babaryka, pro-democracy activist Maria 
     Kalesnikava, and RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik;
       (8) condemns the forced diversion of Ryanair Flight 4978 to 
     arrest Raman Pratasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega, which 
     violated international civil aviation law and risked the 
     lives of innocent passengers and crew, and calls for their 
     immediate unconditional release;
       (9) commends the bravery of Belarusians who have created 
     innovative ways to protest Lukashenka's autocracy and 
     applauds the Belarusian diaspora's efforts to maintain 
     international focus on the deteriorating political situation;
       (10) lauds the extraordinary support offered by the 
     Governments of Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland to support the 
     people of Belarus, including support for the political 
     opposition, accommodation of political refugees, and backing 
     a free media;
       (11) calls on the Lukashenka regime to immediately halt 
     exploiting and instrumentalizing migrants and to stop 
     directing individuals to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia, 
     and Poland;
       (12) welcomes the Executive order announced on August 9, 
     2021, that applies additional sanctions on the Lukashenka 
     regime and urges the Biden Administration to consider all 
     economic, political, and diplomatic tools at its disposal to 
     support democracy in Belarus;
       (13) welcomes the European Union sanctions imposed on the 
     Lukashenka regime and urges the United States to continue to 
     coordinate additional measures with the European Union; and
       (14) emphasizes that the United States supports the people 
     of Belarus in their quest to maintain their sovereignty, 
     choose their own leadership, and live in freedom, and 
     recognizes the extensive efforts of the Belarusian opposition 
     to coordinate efforts with the United States, the European 
     Union, the OSCE, and the United Nations to bring free and 
     fair elections to its people.

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, today, the Senate will consider S. 
Res. 345, legislation I authored with Senator Roger Wicker to bring 
attention to the people of Belarus and their pursuit of democracy. 
Since Alyaksandr Lukashenka egregiously stole the Presidential 
elections in 2020, we have witnessed a continued crackdown on the 
people of Belarus, who are being denied their basic human rights. After 
unjustly claiming victory, Lukashenka responded to peaceful, pro-
democracy protests across Belarus with violence and oppression, 
throwing thousands of Belarusians in jail.
  In May last year, his regime forced a commercial airliner flying 
between two

[[Page S454]]

European states to land in Minsk so his security forces could arrest a 
journalist and his partner, an action for which the U.S. has charged 
four Belarusian officials with hijacking. Then last fall, his regime 
exploited vulnerable migrants by bringing them to Belarus and forcing 
them at gunpoint across the border into the European Union, leading 
several countries to declare a state of emergency.
  These abuses are demoralizing to the Belarusian people, who keep up 
the fight to bring Lukashenka to account for his egregious behavior. 
But now, we are witnessing a new level of desperation by Lukashenka, 
who is supporting Putin in his campaign of aggression against Ukraine. 
He has endorsed Putin's agenda and invited Russian troops for major 
military exercises on Belarusian soil. Lukashenka has effectively given 
Putin permission to use his own country for a training ground to 
undermine a sovereign nation.
  As Lukashenka supports Vladimir Putin's efforts to destabilize the 
democratically elected government in Kyiv, at home he has proposed a 
constitutional referendum that would allow him to stay in office 
indefinitely.
  Indeed, life under Lukashenka is perilous. Today, there are more than 
1000 political prisoners in Belarus, 1000 people imprisoned because of 
the insecurities of one man. I welcome the recent statement from the 
Department of State bringing attention to the ill treatment of these 
prisoners. And I call on the Lukashenka regime to release these 
prisoners without conditions and abide by their commitments to human 
rights as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe.
  Lukashenka has ruthlessly attacked independent media in Belarus, 
including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which he declared an 
extremist organization. Anyone who subscribes to RFE/RL can be arrested 
and jailed. RFE/RL's journalists who reported on the 2020 elections 
have been harassed, detained, arrested, and stripped of their 
credentials.
  I want to highlight the stories behind the names of these 
journalists. They have been arrested and torn from family and friends 
indefinitely, simply for doing their jobs to shed light on the truth.
  Ihor Losik was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December after a 
lengthy, closed door trial. Andrey Kuznechyk has been detained since 
November on unknown criminal charges. Aleh Hruzdzilovich has been 
detained since late December for his reporting activities, after 
previously serving two stints in jail following the election.
  The Lukashenka regime's cowardly attacks on the free press do not 
project strength. They show that regime is, in fact, weak, desperate 
and afraid of the truth. And the truth is--the Belarusian people want 
to live in a free country and choose their own future.
  This is why I have been proud to lead efforts in the Senate to 
condemn the actions of the Lukashenka regime and support the brave 
people of Belarus who continue to stand up to an increasingly 
autocratic government. Last year, Senator Wicker and I cofounded the 
Free Belarus Caucus to advocate for the pro-democracy movement and 
continue to push for free and fair elections in Belarus.
  I have met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya numerous times and others 
from the Coordination Council who are leading the effort to bring a 
peaceful, democratic transition of power to Belarus. She is an 
admirable woman who did not seek the spotlight, but stepped up on 
behalf of her people when they needed her most. Her leadership is 
critical for the future of democracy in Belarus, and we must do 
everything we can to assist her and the Belarusian people.
  And today, I am calling on my colleagues in the Senate to join me in 
supporting this resolution, which expresses solidarity for the 
Belarussians' pursuit of freedom and a future of their own making. As 
we work together to respond to Russian threats against Ukraine, we must 
not forget the plight of Belarusians. We must be steadfast in our 
strong support to those suffering under the rule of authoritarians. So 
I urge my colleagues to join me at this critical moment and support 
this resolution.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I further ask that the Shaheen amendment at the desk to 
the committee-reported amendment to the resolution be agreed to, and 
that the committee-reported amendment, as amended, be agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 4921) was agreed to, as follows:

                (Purpose: To make technical amendments)

       On page 13, strike lines 1 through 8, and insert the 
     following:
       (7) calls for the unconditional release of all political 
     prisoners and journalists detained on dubious charges, 
     including opposition candidates Sergei Tikhanovsky and Viktar 
     Babaryka, pro-democracy activist Maria Kalesnikava, and Radio 
     Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists Ihar Losik, Aleh 
     Hruzdzilovich, and Andrey Kuznechyk;
       On page 14, lines 8 and 9, strike ``consider all economic, 
     political, and diplomatic tools'' and insert ``consider 
     further tools''.

  The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I know of no further debate on the resolution, as 
amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is 
on the resolution, as amended.
  The resolution (S. Res. 345), in the nature of a substitute, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, 
be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment to the preamble, in the nature of a 
substitute, was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as 
follows:

                              S. Res. 345

       Whereas the United States Senate has long maintained strong 
     bipartisan concern regarding the troubling lack of democracy 
     in Belarus, highlighted by the passing of the Belarus 
     Democracy Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-347; 22 U.S.C. 5811 
     note);
       Whereas the 116th Congress, as referenced in H.R. 8438, the 
     Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020, 
     and Senate Resolution 658, which both passed with unanimous 
     support, stated its deep concern regarding the fraudulent 
     election in Belarus on August 9, 2020;
       Whereas on September 17, 2020, the Moscow Mechanism of the 
     human dimension of the Organization for Security and 
     Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was invoked by 17 participating 
     states with regard to credible reports of human rights 
     violations before, during, and after the presidential 
     election of August 9, 2020, in Belarus;
       Whereas, following Alyaksandr Lukashenka's inauguration on 
     September 23, 2020, the United States, the European Union, 
     numerous European Union member states, the United Kingdom, 
     and Canada announced they did not recognize the legitimacy of 
     the election results;
       Whereas after the August 9, 2020 presidential election, the 
     Government of Belarus responded to the resulting peaceful 
     protests, the largest in the country's history, with a 
     violent crackdown, including the detention of more than 
     10,000 peaceful protestors, according to the United Nations 
     Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in 
     Belarus;
       Whereas the Government of Belarus, under the misrule of the 
     Lukashenka regime, continues to engage in a pattern of clear 
     and persistent violations of human rights and fundamental 
     freedoms and disrespects the basic principles of democratic 
     governance by subjecting tens of thousands of pro-democracy 
     political activists, peaceful protesters, and ordinary 
     citizens to harassment, beatings, abductions, forced 
     deportations, and imprisonment and by committing acts of 
     transnational repression to punish any dissent expressed by 
     Belarusian citizens;
       Whereas the Lukashenka regime continues to silence 
     independent media, such as Nasha Niva, tut.by, and Belsat, 
     and has unlawfully raided the offices of media outlets, 
     including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and arrested 
     journalists;
       Whereas on September 11, 2020, then-Deputy Secretary of 
     State Stephen Biegun said that ``we stand by our long-term 
     commitment to support the sovereignty of Belarus as well as 
     its territorial integrity, as the aspirations of the 
     Belarusian people to determine their own path remains in 
     front of us'';
       Whereas on May 23, 2021, the Lukashenka regime forced a 
     commercial airliner flying between two European Union member 
     states to land in Minsk in order for the regime to arrest 
     journalist Raman Pratasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega, a 
     violation of international law resulting in near universal 
     condemnation from the international community and coordinated 
     sanctions by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the 
     European Union;
       Whereas on May 28, 2021, the White House announced the re-
     imposition of full blocking

[[Page S455]]

     sanctions against nine Belarusian state-owned enterprises and 
     announced a new Executive order to increase sanctions on 
     elements of the Lukashenka regime;
       Whereas the Lukashenka regime has actively encouraged or 
     forced at gunpoint more than 4,000 migrants from other 
     countries to cross through Belarus into European Union member 
     states Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, amounting to people 
     smuggling and obliging these countries to declare a state of 
     emergency;
       Whereas on June 9, 2021, the Committee on Foreign Relations 
     of the Senate held a hearing regarding the political 
     situation in Belarus, in which United States Ambassador to 
     Belarus Julie Fisher testified that ``Despite the oppression, 
     the violence, and the turmoil that followed the events of the 
     past year provide glimmers of hope. A new generation of brave 
     Belarusians, with courageous women at the front, have 
     emerged. They represent a Belarus determined to chart its own 
     path. They represent a Belarus in which wearing a red and 
     white dress, hanging a flag, or playing a particular song 
     will not result in torture, forced confessions, or even 
     death.'';
       Whereas on July 27, 2021, President Biden met Belarusian 
     opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya at the White House 
     and declared that ``The United States stands with the people 
     of Belarus in their quest for democracy and universal human 
     rights.'';
       Whereas on August 9, 2021, President Biden--
       (1) announced an Executive order authorizing the imposition 
     of blocking sanctions on certain sectors of the Belarus 
     economy, including the potash, tobacco products, and 
     construction sectors; and
       (2) pursuant to such executive order and Executive Order 
     13405, issued additional sanctions on Belarusian individuals 
     and entities, including Belaruskali (a state-owned potash 
     fertilizer company) and the Belarus National Olympic 
     Committee; and
       Whereas Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana 
     Tsikhanouskaya continues to represent the widely shared 
     desire of the Belarusian people for free and fair elections 
     and democracy: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) continues, on the first anniversary of the illegitimate 
     presidential election in Belarus on August 9, 2020, to refuse 
     to recognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the legitimately 
     elected leader of Belarus;
       (2) condemns Lukashenka's ongoing crackdown on members of 
     the pro-democracy movement, senior members of the 
     Coordination Council, peaceful protesters, employees from 
     state-owned enterprises participating in strikes, independent 
     election observers, independent journalists and bloggers, 
     medical professionals, professors, teachers, athletes, and 
     cultural leaders;
       (3) continues to call for the fulfillment by the Government 
     of Belarus of Belarus' freely undertaken obligations as an 
     Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) 
     member and accept the OSCE's offer to facilitate a national 
     dialogue and fully participate in the OSCE process;
       (4) calls for new presidential and parliamentary elections 
     to be held in Belarus, conducted in a manner that is free and 
     fair according to OSCE standards and under the supervision of 
     OSCE observers and independent domestic observers;
       (5) welcomes the United States Government's close 
     coordination with the European Union, the United Kingdom, 
     Canada, other allied and partner countries, and international 
     organizations to promote the principles of democracy, the 
     rule of law, and human rights in Belarus and encourages 
     continued coordination to apply maximal pressure on the 
     Lukashenka regime;
       (6) continues to call for the immediate release, without 
     preconditions, of all political prisoners in Belarus;
       (7) calls for the unconditional release of all political 
     prisoners and journalists detained on dubious charges, 
     including opposition candidates Sergei Tikhanovsky and Viktar 
     Babaryka, pro-democracy activist Maria Kalesnikava, and Radio 
     Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists Ihar Losik, Aleh 
     Hruzdzilovich, and Andrey Kuznechyk;
       (8) condemns the forced diversion of Ryanair Flight 4978 to 
     arrest Raman Pratasevich and his partner Sofia Sapega, which 
     violated international civil aviation law and risked the 
     lives of innocent passengers and crew, and calls for their 
     immediate unconditional release;
       (9) commends the bravery of Belarusians who have created 
     innovative ways to protest Lukashenka's autocracy and 
     applauds the Belarusian diaspora's efforts to maintain 
     international focus on the deteriorating political situation;
       (10) lauds the extraordinary support offered by the 
     Governments of Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland to support the 
     people of Belarus, including support for the political 
     opposition, accommodation of political refugees, and backing 
     a free media;
       (11) calls on the Lukashenka regime to immediately halt 
     exploiting and instrumentalizing migrants and to stop 
     directing individuals to the borders of Lithuania, Latvia, 
     and Poland;
       (12) welcomes the Executive order announced on August 9, 
     2021, that applies additional sanctions on the Lukashenka 
     regime and urges the Biden Administration to consider further 
     tools at its disposal to support democracy in Belarus;
       (13) welcomes the European Union sanctions imposed on the 
     Lukashenka regime and urges the United States to continue to 
     coordinate additional measures with the European Union; and
       (14) emphasizes that the United States supports the people 
     of Belarus in their quest to maintain their sovereignty, 
     choose their own leadership, and live in freedom, and 
     recognizes the extensive efforts of the Belarusian opposition 
     to coordinate efforts with the United States, the European 
     Union, the OSCE, and the United Nations to bring free and 
     fair elections to its people.

                          ____________________