Early day motion · EDM 345 · 20 Jul 2021

Political prisoners in Belarus

Tabled by Tony Lloyd (Labour) 17 signatures

The motion

That this House believes there to be 570 political prisoners in Belarus; notes the credible reports of prisoners facing extreme violence, torture, and sexual assault; welcomes the decision by several honourable Members and Noble Lords to act as godparents to Belarusian political prisoners; is aware that the Noble Lord Foulkes has adopted Stepan Latipov, the honourable Member for Rochdale has adopted Darya Chultsova, the honourable Member for North East Fife has adopted Pavel Drozd, the honourable Member for Blaenau Gwent has adopted Dzianis Zhuk, the honourable Member for Edinburgh West has adopted Andrei Aliaksandrau, the honourable Member for Hornsey and Wood Green has adopted Mark Antonau, the honourable Member for West Lancashire has adopted Aliaksandr Drazdou, the honourable Member for Luton South has adopted Anton Lakishyk, the honourable Member for Kingston and Surbiton has adopted Aliaksei Ramanau, the honourable Member for Gower has adopted Kanstantsin Svidunovich, the Noble Lord Russell has adopted Ruslan Akostka, the Noble Baroness Crawley has adopted Dzmitry Zherbutovich, the Noble Baroness Smith has adopted Ryhor Hunko, the Noble Lord Griffiths has adopted Mikita Zalatarou, the Noble Baroness Massey has adopted Andrei Szauczuk, the Noble Baroness Kennedy has adopted Mikita Yemialyianau; encourages other honourable Members and Noble Lords to adopt Belarusian political prisoners; and calls upon the Lukashenka regime to look again at this outrageous and outmoded practice in modern-day Europe of holding political prisoners and to release them urgently.

Source: the official Early Day Motions database.