Sweden Issues Statement On Situation In Belarus

Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven has issued a statement on the developments in Belarus condemning the violence and arrests used against peaceful demonstrators. "The presidential election of 9 August was neither free nor fair. The extremely widespread demonstrations we have seen in Belarus in recent days show very clearly that the Belarusian people do not accept the announced election result, and are seeking democratic change and reform", the statement said. He said that the European Union has already begun drawing up targeted sanctions against the Belarusian government led by President Alexander Lukashenko and also announced that a meeting of the European Union will be held on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Belarus.