European Economic and Social Committee 9d ago

EESC President Séamus Boland and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic forces, call for the release of the more than 800 political prisoners still detained in Belarus today. This joint statement comes one year after the European Economic and Social Committee and the Belarusian democratic forces signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2025, formalising EESC cooperation with Belarusian civil society in exile and the joint commitment to advocate for political prisoners. More than 400 Belarusian political prisoners have been released recently. For their families, those releases brought moments of immense joy and relief. But hundreds remain behind bars. Some have died in custody. Some are kept incommunicado for years. The EESC will continue to stand with Belarusian civil society and to advocate for every one of them. Freedom for all political prisoners in Belarus.