TASS, October 1. Members of the Foreign Affairs Committee have submitted a bill on democracy and human rights in Belarus to the US House of Representatives, the committee said in a statement Wednesday.

"We stand with the historic numbers of peaceful Belarusian protesters that continue to flood the streets to demand a more democratic country. Their voices must be heard and the Belarusian authorities using violence, arbitrary detentions and repression in an attempt to stifle their calls to chart their own future must be held accountable," House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican Leader Michael McCaul commented on the bill.

According to the document, the US authorities do not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate President of Belarus and call to hold new presidential elections in accordance with OSCE standards as well as total release of all political prisoners. Moreover, the bill makes it possible to expand the list of Belarusian and Russian citizens who can have sanctions imposed on them linked to their opposition to activities of independent media.