Andrei Sannikov in The Times: Free the prisoners of Europe’s last dictator

Britain newspaper has published the articlt of the leader of civil campaign «European Belarus».

Here is the text in full.

Exactly two years ago, I joined tens of thousands of my fellow Belarussians in Minsk to demand respect for our rights and, most importantly, our right to choose our own government. That day I had stood as a candidate in a presidential “election” against Alexander Lukashenko, widely known as Europe’s last dictator.

Faced with the same kind of popular, non-violent movement that has felled so many despots this century, the regime’s response was swift. In a scene that belongs to Europe’s past, police moved in and attacked peaceful protesters. I was severely beaten and hundreds were arrested, including my wife and other presidential candidates.

I was thrown into the notorious Amerikanka prison, run by the security service that still calls itself the KGB. My knee had been smashed by the police, but the guards refused me treatment; my physical condition worsened as I was subjected to humiliating strip searches in freezing cells. The pressure continued as I was moved from prison to prison further to isolate me from the outside world.

Although most demonstrators were released within a few weeks, some of us — mostly journalists, activists and opposition candidates — were charged with inciting or participating in a riot. For exercising my rights, I was sentenced to five years in prison. But in April this year, after 16 months in jail, I was released and compelled to seek political asylum in the UK.

My wife, the journalist Irina Khalip, received a suspended two-year sentence. Despite claims by Lukashenko himself that she is free to join me, police still prevent her, and my son, from leaving Minsk. She is subject to a curfew and is regularly harassed by officers late at night, which frightens our boy.

The Belarussian Government continues to hold political prisoners, including the human rights defender Ales Bialatski and Nikolai Statkevich, another presidential candidate, who is now two years into a six-year prison term for participating in the post-election demos; and the youth leader Zmicer Dashkevich. These brave men are only some of the 14 political prisoners in Belarus today who suffer unbearable conditions behind bars.

Mild sanctions were imposed against the regime after the 2010 crackdown, but more can be done. As we mark two years since that brutality I urge my fellow Europeans to do what it takes to secure the release of prisoners of conscience. It shames the democratic world to have such a brutal dictatorship in Europe. Belarussians deserve better, and we need your help and solidarity.

Andrei Sannikov is a Belarussian opposition politician and former diplomat.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Andrei Sannikau: There will be changes in Belarus soon

On 19 December it is second anniversary of the Square protest.

Radio Svaboda is questioning the presidential candidates 2010: about the lessons of the previous campaign and the upcoming 2015 elections. The leader of the European Belarus civic campaign and former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau answered the radio’s questions.

- What are the main lesson of the elections 2010 for you?

- I would single out two lessons of that campaign. First, if I can say so, - is the emotional lesson. It is that I felt huge support of the people, who want changes in the country and crave for freedom. It could be observed at stage of signature collection, as well as during the meetings with people all around Belarus, also in the square on 19 December 2010, where people felt freedom and united in freedom. The second lesson is political. It is what was clear on 19 December and what is seen today, that there must have been the second round. I made it to the second round, but it was the success of the work of all the independent candidates and their teams. And it is exactly that what caused the hysteria, which is still in place on the part of the authorities.

- Are you going to run for president in 2015?

- What elections can we talk about? The final period was put there in Belarusian elections in 2010. There is no such an institute in our country with the dictatorship of Lukashenka and the people realized that. That is why people did not come and participate in the electoral farce, the so-called parliamentary elections in September this year. And that this date, this 2015 year, is attempted to be imposed in the society – it is done by the regime in order to distract the attention from today’s problem, like there are no more important problems in Belarus’ political life. But they exist and they are connected exactly with the existence of the dictatorial regime in Belarus. The last remaining human rights and freedoms disappear, villages are being burnt, and the serfdom comes back to Belarus. These are the problems of today, but not the year of 2015. And the regime, which rules in Belarus, it is dangerous for its people.

- What advice would you give the opposition candidate at 2015 elections?

- I would like to tell the opposition leaders and all the citizens of Belarus that we need to preserve what we experienced on 19 December 2010 during the Square protest. By the way, it was the strongest resistance action in the latest years. I am proud that I was in the Square, and I am proud that I was there with you, I would want to thanks all the people, who supported us, who also were there in the Square. What happened next, when I was in prison, it is also a tool for resistance – it is solidarity. That is exactly what is needed today, it is needed in order to save, release the political prisoners we must help the families of the political prisoners. And it is exactly due to solidarity, I am sure, that changes will soon happen in Belarus. Long live Belarus!

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Lukashenka: “One must act against the workers with a tight rein”

The dictator demanded unconditional implementation of the “serfdom decree”.

“Take it all in your hands, in iron mittens, and act”, - Lukashenka stated on Thursday, when visiting the public company Magileudreu, Interfax reports.

Addressing the new administration of the enterprise, the ruler asked: “Are you fine with the decree? Or are there nuances and faults?”. “We are fine with it”, - the company’s director general answered.

“Will we achieve the main goal: for you to be the boss here, like in the West, and all the workers and specialists to work at their best? Is the decree enough in order to do that?”, - Lukashenka asked, receiving a positive answer.

The dictator continued with asking: “Has the outflow of the working force stopped? You keep in mind that they (the workers - Interfax) do not have a right to quit without your authorization”.

“And if anyone leaves – will be sent back here for compulsory works”, - Lukashenka stated.

Lukashenka admitted: “Yes, we are holding the people here by force”.

“Why? Because they failed the tasks, caused harm, if you will”, - he explained. In this regard he demanded from the administrations and workers of the timber processing enterprises “to strain temselves in the course of this and the following years, do what have not been done here in five years”.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

David Kramer: Europe should stop backing Lukashenka

Goods turnover between the EU and Belarus grows and the money is spent to back the dictator.

The president of Freedom House thinks sanctions are the main mechanism to influence the Belarusian authorities, Voice of America reports.

The Freedom House president thinks the international community, at least the EU and the USA, should continue their tough position. Though some people in the West think the policy of sanctions failed, the reason for ineffectiveness of the sanctions was that Russia saved Lukashenka with a loan of several billions in November 2011, David Kramer thinks. He says tough sanctions should be further applied and calls on European countries to review their policy with Belarus. The turnout increases and it means the money is spent on backing Lukashenka. Pressure is the only language Lukashenka understands, David Kramer says. He thinks the European Union and the United States will continue this policy and will further support the civil society and the opposition in Belarus, because it is important for receiving information from the country.

The president Freedom House thinks political repressions in Belarus has only increased since the crackdown on the rally of 30,000 people in Minsk in 2010.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Congressman Smith: Lukashenka must stand before the Hague court

The Belarusian ruler is guilty of crimes against humanity.

In order to change the situation with human rights in Belarus, world leaders should regularly draw attention to the state of things in the country, and Aliaksandr Lukashenka must stand before the International Criminal Court in the Hague for crimes against humanity, the head of the US Congress’ Helsinki Committee believes, the Voice of America reports.

Making a speech at the event on the occasion of the second anniversary of the brutal crackdown on the 30-thousand demonstration in the center of Minsk on 19 December 2010, an American congressman Christopher Smith stated that the United States should increase the support to the civil society in Belarus.

“In the light of increasing repressions it is absolutely necessary for the US’ government not to just keep supporting the civil society and human rights activists, but to increase this support. We also must take Lukashenka and his henchmen accountable for the way they treat political prisoners and the people fighting for free Belarus”, - the head of the US Congress’ Helsinki Committee stated.

The Belarusian delegation that arrived to participate in the hearings included the chairwoman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Zana Litsvina, the president of the Belarusian Human Rights House Tatsiana Raviaka and the wife of the political prisoner (former head of the human rights center Viasna and also a vice-president of the International Human Rights Federation) Ales Bialiatski – Natalia Pinchuk.

Talking about the situation in Belarus Zhana Litsvina regretfully stated that control over the society and pressure on free media increase in Belarus.

“I have to say today that the policy in Belarus remains the same, that the confrontation is of a tough nature and that in the past 18 years we have for the first time faced the situation when the domestic policies are aimed at only two priorities. First, it is toughening the control over the society; second, it is intensifying the work of the state propaganda machine”, - Litsvina stated.

Natalia Pinchuk agreed with such an assessment of the situation, having emphasized that the international community does not have a right to stay aside, but should in the contrary unite in their pressure on the Belarusian authorities in order for the latter to not only release but also rehabilitate the ones unlawfully convicted.

“The absence of any reaction leads to connivance and further worsening of the situation. In this sense, of course, it is very important to coordinate the positions of the European Union countries and the United States. It is possible to do only by joint efforts”, - the wife of the human rights activist noted.

At the same time the speakers pointed out that politicians in Europe have long begun showing “open tiredness” every time when a discussion concerns another set of human rights violations in Belarus.

“And it is not surprising. Recently I have found out the figure: since 1996 the European Parliament has adopted 114 resolutions on Belarus”, - Litsvina noted.

The Belarusian activists emphasized the toughened control over the Interned – the last remaining fore post of free media in Belarus. According to the speakers, the country’s leadership has adopted a number of legislative measures limiting the access to the politically undesirable web-sites.

“I would ask you to note that among the five web-sites, which are now in the black list, there is the web-page of the human rights center Viasna. However, I am reminding you that we are dealing with human rights protection; we do neither pornography, nor children traffic”, - the head of the Belarusian Human Rights House Tatsiana Raviaka pointed out.

The activists reminded of another ambiguous legislative initiative of the Belarusian authorities – the prosecution of the organizers of the so-called “silent protests”, which were caused by a rapid drop of the Belarusian rouble’s exchange rate last year. In summer 2011, according to the Belarusians, police detained around three thousand people who were innocently silent.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

European Congress: How Belarus can be freed from the dictator?

Lukashenka boasts of being “Europe’s last dictator”.

The situation in Belarus was discussed during the Third European Congress of Human rights held in Polish Katowice. The event was organized by the office of European Deputy Marek Migalski (Poland) and the Polish association Projekt Slask.

A range of public figures and politicians have taken part in the congress: the first head of state of independent Belarus Stanislau Shushkievich; editor-in-chief of charter97.org Natallia Radzina; director of Euroradio Dzmitry Novikau; youth leader, journalist of Radio Svaboda Franak Viachorka; head of Movement of the Future Viachaslau Dzihanau; political scientist, former ambassador of Belarus to Russia and Moldova Viktar Ross; expert of the Center for Eastern Studies Katarzyna Jasinska; editor-in-chief of New Eastern Europe magazine Andrzej Brzeziecki; director of Kharkiv office of Institute of Gorshenin Konstantin Vinokurov; chairperson of Jan Nowak-Jezioranski Eastern Europe Collegium Jan Andrzej Dąbrowski; host of the Polish TV-show Studio Wschód Maria Pszelomiec.
In his introduction speech, Marek Migalski explained why this year the congress includes sections on Belarus, Russia and Ukraine:

“Unfortunately, in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus the situation with human rights and democracy has not improved compared to the previous years. Of course, we can compare, but we should be aware of the difference between the classic dictatorship in Belarus and the situation in Ukraine. Today Russia is somewhere in the middle.

I work for the European Parliament commissions on Belarus and Russia, and we are deeply concerned with the situation around human rights in these three countries. We start the discussion with the Belarusian situation, the most problematic, where members of the opposition are forced to live abroad. Belarus is the country where there is absolutely no respect for the democratic standards of human rights; the country whose dictator boasts to foreign media that he is Europe’s last dictator. He may see this as a reason to be glad, but here, in Europe, we should be sad for not being able to do something today to free 10 million of people from this dictator,” the European Parliament deputy said.

The first leader of independent Belarus Stanislau Shushkievich pointed to the facts that explain Russia’s support of the Belarusian dictatorship:

“In Belarus, the law doesn’t work. Europe has proclaimed Lukashenka’s constitution undemocratic. The constitution works only when it meets the interests of the ruling mob. Why is that happening? Because our Eastern neighbor benefits from this situation. Russia supports the Belarusian dictatorship because this dictator can do what Russia cannot do, for example, trade weapons with the countries under embargo who support terrorists. The Soviet Union disappeared from the world map, but it is preserved in Belarus” Stanislau Shushkievich said.
Editor of charter97.org Natallia Radzina remarked that unless the West develops a working strategy and an understanding of how grave the situation in Belarus – and in Russia and Ukraine, too – is, this situation is not likely to change.

“Lukashenka has been ruling the country for almost 20 years, and I recall that for some time ago Russian democrats made jokes of him. Basically the Belarusian dictatorship existed at Russia’s expense, which didn’t bother the rather democratic politicians who ruled the country at that time. Today the same politicians have turned into the opposition, political prisoners; they are searched and thrown to jails – the fate that has found us, Belarusian oppositionist, long time ago.

Stanislau Shushkievich, Yeltsin and Kravchuk made the Soviet Union collapse in 1991. But as a matter of fact, the Soviet Union is being restored today. And the world must see this threat. Deterioration of the situation with democracy in Russia and Ukraine has become possible because the West has not been treating Lukashenka’s dictatorship properly. With his example, Lukashenka has showed Putin, for instance, that it is possible to murder and repress the opposition, to suppress all democratic rights and freedoms, to violate international obligations – and not to suffer any consequences,” Natallia Radzina emphasized.
Youth leader Franak Viachorka spoke about the completely new phenomenon that appeared in Belarus after 2010 – the pseudo-opposition:

“The Belarusian society is indeed very isolated, it has no access to free information, but on the other hand, there appear more and more people who realize that the dictatorship’s resources are exhausted. A new law has been recently adopted that prohibits mass gatherings, both with and without an intention to act. This shows that any initiative from the opposition to hold, for example, a “silent action”, provokes a most stupid reaction of the powers.

There are two Unions of Writers, two Unions of Journalists, two Unions of Poles. It shows that fake organizations are established to distract or confuse the people. Just like that a pseudo-opposition appears that calls not to fight Lukashenka, but to negotiate, cooperate – the way the Polish opposition sat down at a “round table” with Jaruzelski. But Lukashenka is not Jaruzelski, and our situation is completely different,” Viachorka pointed out.
The participants of the congress talked about the growing pressure on journalists from the Belarusian powers.

As Natallia Radzina remarked, the articles of the Criminal Code applied to journalists are most ridiculous and severe:

“If previously journalists were charged mostly often with “defamation of the president” and “insult of the president”, today we see Iryna Khalip, journalist, wife of the leader of European Belarus Andrei Sannikov, convicted to two years of imprisonment with a respite for taking part in “mass disorders”; a criminal case was initiated against photographer Anton Surapin for having assisted “breach of the national border” just because he had uploaded photographs of the teddy bears thrown down from the airplane.

But it gets worse: the KGB charged youth activist Andrei Gaidukou with treason for having distributed the newspaper Charter’97 (which is a printed version of the website). And he can be convicted to 3, 5, 7 or 10 years of imprisonment.”

The journalist urged to show more support to the political prisoners. “Today not all political prisoners receive full aid from human rights organizations, which is a problem,” she said.

Director of the Euroradio Dzmitry Novikau emphasized that independent electronic media in Belarus cannot work properly:

”For example, in Belarus there are 23 radio stations that are called independent, but in fact there is no radio or television station without state-own capital. A state organization or business is always present as one of the shareholders. All the information they get must be authorized by the powers, so we have to work from Poland. According to the Belarusian Constitution, every citizen has the right to get free information, and journalists have the right to collect this information, but in reality there is no such right. Our goal is to restore this right in Belarus.”
Leader of the Movement of the Future Viachaslau Dzianau said that no matter how hard the powers press the independent media, they cannot stop people from using the Internet:

“You cannot stop the progress, and Lukashenka has got a new foe – social media. For him, it is something new, something obscure. Just like he said during a conference: “Someone pushes a button, and a missile will fly out and land here.” And for the special services, the Internet is something new. They knew how to fight street rallies, knew how to fight journalists, but they didn’t know at first how to fight network activists. And so the special services unfolded mass repressions against network activists that are still going on: the people who are involved in online actions are arrested, blackmailed and intimidated, their computers are withdrawn. But I believe that in the future it will be even harder for the special services to fight against us, because you cannot stop Internet. However isolated Belarus is, the Internet here is developing. Protest rallies will be set up online, and the day when the dictatorship falls, the social media will play the most active part.”

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Dictator adopts “serfdom decree”

The dictator has signed decree No. 9 “On additional measures to develop the wood processing industry”.

The document was adopted to “boost effectiveness of the state support measures in implementation of investment projects to develop the wood processing industry, strengthen work discipline and encourage employees financially”.

The decree provides for signing employment contracts with employees of the wood processing enterprises that receive state aid for modernisation, technical reequipment and reconstruction of production operations in accordance with Lukashenka's ruling No. 529 of October 18, 2007, “On some measures to develop the wood processing industry”.

Early termination of employment contracts in the period of implementation of investment projects on the initiative of an employee is possible only with the consent of the employer. An employer may apply to the head of the Minsk region or Minsk city executive committee to appeal against the refusal of the employer to terminate the agreement.

The decree obliges to pay monthly bonuses (their amount is set by enterprises in accordance with their financial abilities) to personnel of wood processing enterprises in addition to the salary set up by employment agreements.

If an employee violates his or her employment duties and gets fired, the amount of monthly bonuses is be returned for the whole period of work.

If not returned, the bonuses will be recovered by court and deducted from former employee's salary at his or her new job. Unemployed persons must return to their previous work. The amount of bonuses will be held back from their salaries.

The decree proposes the same regime for employees of main contractors and engineering organisations participating in investment projects on technical reequipment, modernisation and reconstruction of production operations of wood processing enterprises.

The decree provides for administrative responsibility for a contractor (a subcontractor and an engineering organisation) for failing to comply with the time of performance of investment projects in the form of a fine from 10 to 100 basic units or a fine from 50 to 500 basic units for a legal entity.

It should be reminded that Lukashenka said last Friday during his visit to Borisdrev factory that employees of wood processing enterprises in the process of modernisation would be banned from quitting.

“Prepare the decree: employees cannot quit unless modernisation and reconstruction of the enterprises are completed. An employee cannot resign without the consent of the employer,” Lukashenka said.

The dictator threatened to send workers to compulsory work in case of arbitrary dismissals.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau