,,iii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #gjh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #ac1 #bjbb,mr4 ,durbin 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mrs4 ,fischer1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,mr4 ,coons7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate on the political repression in ,belarus on the two-year anniversary of the ,august #bjbj1 fraudulent presidential election4 ,whereas ,alyaksandr ,lukashenka has ruled ,belarus as an undemocratic dictatorship since the first presidential election in ,belarus in #aiid1 dismantling the democratic institutions of ,belarus and seeking to jail those who compete against him in presidential elections or protest his authoritarian regime2 ,whereas the ,lukashenka regime jailed leading opposition candidates that attempted to compete in the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 presidential election in ,belarus2 ,whereas ,sviatlana ,tsikhanouskaya ran in the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 presidential election after the jailing of her husband1 opposition candidate ,siarhei ,tsikhanouski1 and was widely seen as the legitimate winner by the international community2 ,whereas the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 presidential election1 in which ,lukashenka claimed victory1 was marred by widespread concern over its legitimacy1 as noted by the ,organization for ,security and ,co-operation in ,europe1 the ,european ,council1 the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 the ,department of ,state1 and reputable international human rights groups2 ,whereas the ,senate1 as expressed in ,senate ,resolution #feh 7#aafth ,congress7 and ,senate ,resolution #cde 7#aagth ,congress71 both of which passed with unanimous support1 has stated its deep concern regarding the most recent fraudulent election that took place in ,belarus on ,august #i1 #bjbj2 ,whereas1 in response to the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 fraudulent presidential election1 the people of ,belarus staged the largest and longest sustained public protests in the history of the country1 calling for a democratic ,belarus2 ,whereas1 since the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 fraudulent presidential election1 the ,lukashenka regime has continued to pressure1 harass1 imprison1 and persecute opposition leaders1 civil society activists1 human rights defenders1 and independent media2 ,whereas1 according to the ,viasna ,human ,rights ,centre1 the ,government of ,belarus has continued to keep at least #a1bdd people imprisoned on politically motivated charges or under false pretense of terrorist threat1 including opposition candidate ,siarhei ,tsikhanouski1 who was sentenced to #ah years in prison2 ,whereas ,russia provided critical support to the ,lukashenka regime following the repression of the protests that followed the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 fraudulent presidential election1 backing the ,lukashenka regime's efforts to prevent the emergence of a democratic ,belarus1 including through the provision of financial assistance1 propaganda support1 and offers of military assistance2 ,whereas1 on ,may #bc1 #bjba1 the ,government of ,belarus unlawfully forced the landing of ,ryanair ,flight #digh in ,minsk to arrest journalist and activist ,raman ,pratasevich and his partner ,sofia ,sapega2 ,whereas1 since ,july #g1 #bjba1 the ,government of ,belarus has weaponized vulnerable migrants by manufacturing a border crisis with ,latvia1 ,lithuania1 and ,poland in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the ,european ,union2 ,whereas1 on ,february #bd1 #bjbb1 ,russia launched an unprovoked war against ,ukraine1 using ,belarus as a launching pad for its attack2 ,whereas the ,lukashenka regime has continued to allow ,belarus to be used by ,russian ,president ,vladimir ,putin for his illegal and unprovoked war against ,ukraine1 including via a sham ,february #bg1 #bjbb1 constitutional referendum on provisions to enable ,belarus to host nuclear weapons and undo ,belarus' decades-long commitment to neutrality2 ,whereas1 since the ,russian invasion of ,ukraine1 ,lukashenka has met with ,vladimir ,putin on at least four separate occasions1 including most recently on ,june #be1 #bjbb1 when ,putin pledged to supply ,belarus with missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons2 ,whereas1 despite support from the ,lukashenka regime for ,putin's war in ,ukraine1 hundreds of brave ,belarusians have joined together to defend ,ukraine1 both on the battlefield in ,ukraine and in the disruption of ,russian supply lines2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and allies of the ,united ,states have imposed sanctions on the ,lukashenka regime for the ,august #i1 #bjbj1 fraudulent presidential election and ensuing repression as well as support for ,putin's war in ,ukraine2 ,whereas1 on ,december #ae1 #bjbj1 ,julie ,fisher was confirmed by the ,senate as ,ambassador to ,belarus1 but her credentials were not accepted by the ,lukashenka regime1 resulting in ,president's ,biden decision in ,october #bjba to appoint ,mrs4 ,fisher as ,special ,envoy for ,belarus2 and ,whereas ,belarusian opposition leader ,sviatlana ,tsikhanouskaya1 in exile in ,lithuania1 continues to represent the widely shared desire of the ,belarusian people for free and fair elections and democracy3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 continues1 on the second anniversary of the fraudulent presidential election that took place in ,belarus on ,august #i1 #bjbj1 to refuse to recognize ,alyaksandr ,lukashenka as the legitimately elected leader of ,belarus2 7#b7 condemns the ongoing harassment and persecution of opposition leaders1 civil society activists1 human rights defenders1 and independent media carried out by the ,lukashenka regime1 and urges the immediate release1 without preconditions1 of all political prisoners in ,belarus1 including ,siarhei ,tsikhanouski1 as well as for all representatives of democratic forces1 civil society1 and independent media in exile to be able to return home without fear of persecution or prosecution2 7#c7 calls for new presidential and parliamentary elections to be held in ,belarus1 conducted in a manner that meets international standards and includes independent election monitoring2 7#d7 condemns the shameful and self-serving support provided by the ,lukashenka regime for ,russian ,president ,putin's savage war in ,ukraine2 7#e7 welcomes continued and coordinated sanctions imposed by the ,united ,states and ,european ,union and other tools to support democracy in ,belarus2 7#f7 recognizes the extraordinary support offered by the ,governments of ,lithuania1 ,poland1 and ,ukraine to support the people of ,belarus1 including support for the political opposition1 accommodation of political refugees1 and backing of independent media2 7#g7 encourages ,president ,biden to swiftly appoint a new ,special ,envoy for ,belarus to support the pro-democracy movement2 and 7#h7 stands in solidarity with the many brave ,belarusians1 such as ,sviatlana ,tsikhanouskaya1 who continue to strive for a free and democratic ,belarus4