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EU sanctions will not change Belarusian leader Lukashenko’s determination to cling to power, but they send an important signal. To avoid isolating ordinary citizens, the EU must combine sanctions with enhanced support for Belarusian civil society.
February 04, 2021
Ken GodfreyExecutive Director of the European Partnership for Democracy
Willing? Mostly. Able? Not enough. Broadly speaking, the EU is a strong supporter of human rights around the world and has taken recent steps to reinforce this image through a new human rights sanctions mechanism and a new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy.
It also seems to me that the European Commission of President Ursula von der Leyen is more willing to speak out on certain human rights abuse when compared to its predecessor while simultaneously finding agreement on gender rights and LGBT rights a much harder affair. The supportive rhetoric is there, but there are still clear limits for EU action.