The unconditional release of all political prisoners in Belarus remains the top goal of the United States, the U.S. special envoy to Belarus, Julie Fisher, told RFE/RL after harsh prison sentences were handed down to a group of Belarusian opposition activists.
Fisher said in a December 15 interview that the United States wanted to "keep focused" on that goal along with its partners and "nothing is off the table" on the question of further "tools of economic pressure" to try to effect change in Belarus.
"As the repression continues there can be no doubt that we will continue our work with Europe and other partners to bring about the next round of sanctions, the next round of tools of pressure," Fisher said, speaking from Vilnius.
Fisher's comments came a day after popular video blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who intended to run against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka before being disqualified and arrested, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his activism. Five other activists, including blogger and RFE/RL consultant Ihar Losik, were handed sentences of between 14 years and 16 years for their activism.
Fisher called the sentences "unjust," "outrageously harsh and ruthless."
After her husband was disqualified from running, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya mobilized voters and won the election, according to the opposition and Western countries who accuse Lukashenka of rigging the results. The results from the August 2020 election sparked months of protests and an increasingly brutal crackdown by Lukashenka's regime, with tens of thousands or people across Belarus being detained.
Tsikhanouskaya has been living in exile in Lithuania since leaving Belarus due to concerns about her safety and that of the couple's two children.
Fisher said there had been signs that the sanctions imposed thus far to try to pressure Belarus to release the more than 900 political prisoners and bring an end to the political crisis are having an impact, but the challenge remains how to "drive that toward the release of all political prisoners."
The United States understands just how devastating the sentences handed down on December 14 were for the families of the prisoners, she said.
"The fortitude and resilience of these families is astonishing," she said, adding that it's important that they "see that this will come to an end, that they believe in that because it is their belief and their resilience that will help their loved ones get through this very difficult period that they will face."
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Who Is Syarhey Tsikhanouski And Why Is Belarus Jailing Him For 18 Years?
The U.S. envoy, who was approved by the Senate one year ago as the first U.S. ambassador to Belarus since 2008, said that given the chance to speak with the jailed opposition activists, she would convey just how much solidarity there is for their causes in the United States, Britain, the European Union, Canada, and other partners.
"It is their cause -- the cause of those who were sentenced yesterday as well as the more than 900 political prisoners who are being held in Belarus -- that animates our sanctions polices and truly -- certainly in the case of Washington -- keeps us focused on what more is needed in order to...break through this situation in Belarus," she said.
Fisher said that while U.S.-Belarus relations had deteriorated, the U.S had expanded its relationship with Belarus "as it exists beyond its borders," and it has been a highlight of her year to see the dedication of people who are working to improve the lives inside the country.
As special envoy, she said she spent a great deal of time coordinating with partners in Europe and others who are focused on Belarus, including civil society activists, human rights activists, and independent media.
She has been unable to take up her post in Minsk because the Belarusian government has denied her a visa in response to the harsh economic sanctions Washington has imposed on Lukashenka and other members of his regime because of the election and subsequent crackdown on dissent. Several protesters have been killed in the violence and some rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used by security officials against some of those detained.
Fisher said that despite not being able to physically be in Minsk, she was still "conveniently placed" in Vilnius for anyone who comes from Belarus to have a conversation with the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Minsk, meanwhile, has been forced to work under restrictive limits on its ability to engage with Belarusians to build people-to-people ties, share information, and fulfill other roles, such as helping Belarus build the elements of civil society and issuing tourist visas, for which she acknowledged there is a lot of pent-up demand.
In October, the embassy said it was forced to close its Public Diplomacy and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) offices as well as the American Center in Minsk. But she said Washington had been clear that it will continue the efforts of those operations.
"As the crisis persists on the ground inside Belarus, we will continue to get more creative we will continue to do more," she said.