Secretary Blinken's Remarks to the Press

More than 1,000 Belarusians have been arrested and confined simply because they peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and assembly in response to a fraudulent election and the Lukashenka regime’s abuses.

Representatives of Europe and the U.S. focused on the urgency in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and highlighted necessary steps to help alleviate the suffering of Afghans across the country.

The U.S. is troubled by continuing reports of abductions and arbitrary detentions by authorities in Russia’s Republic of Chechnya, targeting the relatives of Chechen human rights defenders and dissidents.