Even before the elections, the Council was deeply concerned with the situation in Belarus and had clearly warned the government, in particular President Lukashenko, not to trample on human rights, to respect the people's right and freedom of assembly and their right to demonstrate; it also pointed out, when a minister quite unbelievably threatened to treat demonstrators as terrorists, that the European Union would not accept that.
Avant même les élections, le Conseil s’inquiétait sérieusement de la situation au Belarus et avait clairement mis en garde le gouvernement, le président Loukachenko en particulier, de ne pas violer les droits de l’homme, de respecter le droit et la liberté d’assemblée des citoyens, ainsi que leur droit à manifester.