Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of (a) political repression and (b) reports of the disappearance of Anzhelika Melnikava.

We are appalled by the repression that the Lukashenko regime conducts against its own people. UK policy on Belarus seeks to support a more open society, democracy, and human rights, directly opposing political repression. In August 2024, the UK announced £2.5 million of funding to support Belarusian human rights and civil society causes in their work against political repression. Additionally, in January, the UK led a joint statement with Australia, Canada, the EU, and New Zealand, condemning the January presidential elections as a sham.

I am concerned by reports of Angelika Melnikava's disappearance. FCDO officials are following the case closely.