"No leader who tortures his own people can ever claim legitimacy," Biden said in the statement on Tuesday. "That is why the international community should significantly expand its sanctions on Lukashenko's henchmen and freeze the offshore accounts where they keep their stolen wealth."
Mass opposition protests have been ongoing in Belarus since the August 9 presidential election in which incumbent Lukashenko secured his sixth consecutive term. The opposition has refused to recognize the official results and has continued to organize regular rallies.
Biden said that if he is elected US president he will work with European allies to develop a plan of economic support for Belarus.
For now, Biden said he will continue to back former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in her call for a transfer of power, the release of all political prisoners, and free and fair elections.
