Jo Swinson

Belarus - Westminster Hall Debate

Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I congratulate Mark Pritchard on securing and introducing the debate. I know that he has raised the matter in business questions, but it is important for us to discuss it before the recess in the light of recent and forthcoming events in Belarus. The hon. Gentleman takes a keen interest in political affairs in eastern Europe and Russia, and I commend him on his work as chairman of the all-party group on Russia; he introduced me to the Russian ambassador last month, which was a very interesting meeting.

I share the hon. Gentleman's condemnation of the recent distressing bomb attacks in Minsk. The reasons behind them have not been discovered. I share his fear and trepidation about the way in which the Belarusian authorities might go about conducting investigations and what the results might be, given their appalling human rights record in dealing with law and order.

In the 18 years that Alexander Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus, it has become clear that the country is the last place in Europe ruled by a dictator. The US has described it as an "outpost of tyranny". Belarus was relatively prosperous when it was part of the USSR. Unfortunately, it has been in steep decline since the end of the Soviet Union. It is important for us to remember that the Belarusian people have been the victims of the tyranny of Lukashenko's regime, which has cracked down on dissidents and managed the country in an incredibly poor way. The economy is crumbling. As has been said, Belarus is looking towards the past rather than the future.

The regime has been characterised by many human rights abuses, particularly with regard to the treatment of political opposition and dissidents. All the institutions have been subverted to the will of the President. Worryingly, over the past couple of months, even more rigid legislation has been passed to put a muzzle on the country's independent media. That is a hallmark of a state that wants to oppress its people. As a result of its human rights abuses, Belarus finds itself increasingly isolated in the international community and increasingly dependent on its relations with Russia. We must make the point that it is vital that relations with the EU are put on a better footing. I will ask the Minister about the twin-track strategy later.

I will focus on three main areas: democracy and human rights in Belarus, its relations with the EU and its relations with Russia. Before I move on to those topics, I will share a related point. Belarus is not very familiar to people in the UK. However, there are more links than are obvious at first glance. When I mentioned to my PA, Julie, that I would be speaking in a debate on Belarus, she told me that when she was growing up, two sisters had stayed with her family for six months under one of the many programmes that encourage children from Belarus to come to the UK to improve their health, which was affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Such programmes have been run by a variety of charities such as Chernobyl Children's Lifeline and Chernobyl Children's Project UK. About 4,000 children come to the UK each year for recuperative holidays, which have been proven to have a huge positive impact on their health. It is estimated that a stay of just a few weeks can extend life expectancy by as much as two years. There are, therefore, more links than are obvious.

In an Adjournment debate secured by my hon. Friend Willie Rennie in February, he raised the problems faced by such children in getting visas to come to this country as a result of the introduction of biometric passports. Some people had to make a 10-hour round trip to Minsk to obtain their visas. For children in a very ill state, that was a great barrier to being able to go on a holiday that would improve their health. The Minister for Europe, said on that occasion:

"I will take personal responsibility for undertaking further inquiries and then meet him".-[Hansard, 25 February 2008; Vol. 472, c. 880.]

The Minister has done that and is to be commended, but I urge the Minister for the Middle East to raise the issue with the Minister for Europe because not all the problems that were identified have yet been resolved. It would be useful if the matter could be pursued.

The catalogue of human rights abuses in Belarus is well documented, as I have said. The political oppression and the treatment of the media are abhorrent to free and democratic societies such as ours. The Government are right to express their disgust at the human rights abuses through various EU and UN channels. I urge them to put further pressure on the regime in Belarus where possible, which I know they are keen to do. That must involve pressure to release political prisoners, to investigate the disappearance of political opponents and to hold free and fair elections. Restrictions on the country's media must be lifted. I welcome the Government's statements and actions on these matters to date, but I press the Minister to say what further action the Government will consider to get the message through to Belarus. What further pressure can we bring to bear so that the regime will understand that its abuses of human rights are unacceptable?

It would be interesting to know how many political opponents of the Belarusian regime have been given asylum in the UK over recent years and if any have applied for asylum and been refused. If the Minister does not have the figures here, perhaps he could write to hon. Members present.

The hon. Member for The Wrekin mentioned the forthcoming elections. There was no international monitoring of last year's local elections. If we are to have confidence that the elections are free and fair, it is vital that international monitors are granted access. Does the Minister expect there to be monitoring of the forthcoming elections or are there still significant obstacles to that?

Kim Howells (Pontypridd, Labour): There will be election monitors, some of whom will be British. I understand that the Belarusian Government have agreed to that.

Jo Swinson (Shadow Minister, Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs; East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): That is welcome news indeed. Perhaps it is another sign of the slight thawing of relations that has been noticed recently between Belarus and EU countries. I hope it will provide a glimmer of hope for the future.

On the media, it filled me with dismay to read that in 2005 the state-owned monopoly printers terminated the contract of the last remaining independent newspaper, and that just last month new laws were introduced requiring all websites in Belarus to be registered with the Government. Journalists can be subject to tough penalties, such as being put in prison for two years, if they reproduce foreign media reports that discredit Belarus. That is unacceptable, as is the persecution of religious groups that we have heard about, particularly the appalling treatment of Christians. Those things must be roundly condemned.

Bob Spink made a useful intervention to point out the important role of organisations such as Amnesty International. I declare an interest as a member of that group. That such organisations can get into countries such as Belarus and report accurately on what is happening is vital for those of us in the international community who want to put pressure on such regimes. I commend and applaud the work of such organisations. I urge hon. Members from all parties to take an interest in the reports that they produce.

The EU has adopted a twin-track approach in its relations with Belarus. High-level contact has been suspended, but the door has been left open so that if reforms take place there can be greater co-operation. Sanctions have been imposed, lifted, and imposed again. With the recent crackdown on political opponents and the introduction of restrictive legislation, it is right that sanctions have been put in place. Does the Minister think that the current strategy is working or are there alternative strategies that could be used? How effective does he think the sanctions are? I note that the answer to a parliamentary question tabled by my hon. Friend Mr. Moore in November 2007 stated that no Belarusian assets were frozen in the UK in line with the EU sanctions. Has the position changed since then or is it still the case that no such assets fall into that category?

I am particularly interested in the perceived thawing of relations signalled by the setting up of a European Commission office in Minsk and the acceptance of election monitors for the forthcoming elections. Is there hope that this warming of relations could become more permanent? What should Europe's response be to ensure that happens as we walk the line between wanting to encourage reform while not condoning the human rights abuses in Belarus?

I turn to relations between Belarus and Russia. Lukashenko's primary foreign policy objective has been good relations with Russia, but clearly they came under considerable stress during the Putin presidency, particularly owing to the many disputes over gas and oil supplies and their impact on the Belarusian economy. Will the Minister tell us what talks the UK or EU are having with Belarus to avoid future disruption to energy supplies owing to pipeline disputes? Obviously, with the increasing dependence on other parts of the world for energy supplies, Belarus and Ukraine are in pivotal positions as major transit routes for oil and gas supplies. Does he think that a greater number of pipeline routes would decrease the likelihood and seriousness of any future disputes, and will the Government actively pursue alternative supply routes? Can he provide us with further information about the Government's actions in that area?

Interest in the thawing relations with the EU is counterbalanced by a look through the history of Russian relations. At one point Russia said that Belarus should be part of the Russian Federation, but at other times suggested that the two countries could be joined together in a united state. At what stage is that proposal, and does the Minister believe that the warmer overtures to the EU represent a policy shift by Lukashenko and a move away from the idea floated of a united Belarusian and Russian state?

On that note, we are fortunate enough to have more time than usual for the Minister to reply to the debate, following the contribution from Mr. Francois, and I look forward to his response.