Dashkevich in transit to Hrodna prison

Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich will be taken to a prison in Hrodna.

BelaPAN news agency received this information from Young Front deputy head and Dashkevich's fiancée Anastasia Palazhanka.

She says she was informed by the prison staff that Dashkevich would arrive at the prison in Hrodna on November 7 or 8.

It should be reminded that Zmitser Dashkevich was detained a day before the presidential elections. He has been serving his jail term on far-fetched accusations of “hooliganism” since December 18, 2010.

On August 28, 2012, political prisoner Zmitser Dashkeivch stood another trial for alleged failure to obey orders of prison staff. His jail term was extended by one year. On October 30, the court of Mozyr heard the case of the political prisoner and ordered to send him to a closed prison until the end of his term. Dashkevich was given the status of “persistent violator of prison rules”. Until now, there has been no information about his whereabouts.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Syrians calls for sanctions against Lukashenko for support Assad

They urged UK to stop sponsoring the Belarusian regime.

Today, a London-based human rights organization 'Syrians in the U.K.' sent a letter to members of the British Parliament requesting to take action against Belarus and a possibility of 'Europe's last dictatorship' to grant asylum to Bashar al-Assad. 'Syrians in the UK' asked MPs to consider increasing sanctions against Belarus and warning UK and European companies against doing business with state-owned Belarus companies.

Full text of the letter is below:

Dear members of the Joint Committee for Human Rights and members of Parliament:

We are convinced, that you, along with the rest of the world, are watching the catastrophe unfold in Syria and the suffering it brings to non-combatants as a result of the actions of Bashar Assad's regime which is holding on to power in the country.

Syrians in the UK, an organization uniting British citizens born in or otherwise connected to Syria, hereby expresses gratitude to the UK Government for the actions it takes to stop genocide and murder of innocent civilians in Syria. An all-out war is ongoing in Syria, with the rebels gaining the upper hand. However, we are concerned that even if the resistance were to win, dictator Bashar Assad may still escape a just trial and continue his war against civilians. This is possible if he were to receive asylum in Belarus, the last remaining dictatorship in Europe, led by Alexander Lukashenka. We are asking you to prevent this possibility.

Many military experts in Syria as well as in the UK see Belarus granting asylum to Bashar Assad as a distinct possibility. In his interview for the Evening Standard newspaper (of October 9, 2012), Lukashenka stated: "[Because of the West's attack on Syria], the world will find out yet what is going to happen, and you will all get yours." In this interview and in his multiple public addresses, Mr. Lukashenka explicitly announced his support for his "friend" Assad.

Syrians in the UK is asking you to look into this matter and share your position on Assad receiving asylum in Belarus, and on the United Kingdom's actions in case asylum is granted.

The United Kingdom has signed into law sanctions against Belarus, where, just like in Syria, abuse of human rights and democratic principles including the freedom of speech and free elections is rife. Despite the sanctions, Lukashenka's regime not only continues systematic violations of human rights, but also openly professes support for Assad's regime. We are asking you to consider an escalation of sanctions against Belarus and other countries offering support to the Bashar Assad's criminal regime and willing to offer Assad asylum. We strongly feel that the United Kingdom and other EU member states should block trade with Belarus companies whose revenues are used to finance Lukashenka's regime, and, as a consequence, go to support Assad's regime in Syria.

Even though trade sanctions against Belarus are in effect, the United Kingdom is the 8th largest trade partner of Belarus with more than EUR 1.2 billion in trade (as of 2010)#. In light of systematic human rights violations and to avoid the danger of Assad receiving asylum in Belarus, we request not only to step up the sanctions against Belarus, but also to warn British businesses and nationals that, by engaging in trade with companies owned or controlled by the state of Belarus, they are or would be supporting Lukashenka's dictatorship.

We believe that other EU member states which still trade with Belarus will follow the United Kingdom's example.


Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Sannikau: I will be looking for friends for my country

Principal stand is lacking today not only in Belarus but in Europe as well.

The leader of the European Belarus civic campaign, former presidential candidate, Andrei Sannikau gave to Radio Svaboda.

- When first news came out that you were in London, there was ambiguity in the media – you just asked for a political asylum in Britain or received it already?

- I received an asylum.

- How did you feel that it that it was necessary to leave Belarus?

- It was that every day I faced total shadowing on the part of the special services: the apartment, phones, computer, even skype were listened. There was a need to decide: whether to stay and just live a private life or to leave in order to work.

- In your first interview from London that you gave to Charter’97 you pointed out that your decision will help the real liberation of your “wife and son who remain hostages of the Lukashenka’s regime”. How your leaving can help them?

- In Belarus we remained one-to-one with the circumstances. There was no one to expect help from. It was obvious that the pressure and provocations will acquire a regular character. I think that my departure will help since now I am under protection of an influential European country, and that means that my family is under protection too. There are international obligations which concern the families of the people who ended up abroad and received an asylum there.

In Minsk it is difficult to help. When you do real things, even greater threat appears, even a physical threat, for the family. Today I am free and I have already started meeting politicians and civic activists. I tell everyone about the situation, ask for my family to be mentioned everywhere and for the obligations that Belarus took to be observed, even the promises that were given for no particular reason but in front of the BBC TV cameras.

- But it has not gone beyond promises of the Belarus’ ruler to the British media so far, has it?

- It has not. I did not tell I received an asylum since I was waiting for Iryna’s case to be settled. I did not believe the promises but I considered that it would be impudence to lie so openly about possible liberation of her off all the restrictions.

- “I want to return to the country as the soonest. If there is benefit of me for the country then, obviously, I would accept certain suggestions” – that is what you said to the Reuters agency. Which possible suggestions and from whom did you mean?

- The interview was quite long and only the excerpts were show drawn out of the context. I was talking about me participating in the new government and the processes that will be happening in the country, when the country becomes free. Of course I will.

- While waiting for an opportunity to return, you, supposedly, are not going to just sit without doing a stroke. What are you planning on doing at the new place?

- There is plenty of what to do, what to read, what to write, what to speak about. I will keep boing the same I used to do. I am a diplomat. One of my teachers once said (and I am sticking to that principle): one should look for friend for one’s country.

- I will not speculate particular figures and sources, but there are grounds to assume that at the elections 2010 you came second. It will unlikely be an exaggeration to say that hundreds thousands Belarusian citizens voted for you. You have really earned a noticeable political asset – what to do with it now?

- I felt that asset behind the bars in the way the prison guards behaved, who tried to make me lie at the questionings, who put huge pressure on me. I felt that after being released as every day as I left my apartment people would greet me. By the way, one of those who greeted me, who had my telephone number, called me and said that KGB agents talked to him… Yes, it was my and my team’s political asset as we suggested the alternative which still exists today and has to be applied in BELARUS.

My team had and still has the support of people. We will implement the alternative. Quite an interesting and acute discussion over Belarus has started and we will also participate in it and suggest our approaches. It is obvious that we all have to look for a way out of the situation.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Belarusian protest groups deleted from Odnoklassniki social network

The group “We're fed up with Lukashenka” disappeared from a social networking website.

“There was an increased activity of pro-Lukashenka users and KGB trolls last week. I blocked them and created a special theme for provocateurs so they could talk to one another there and not hinder normal people. No one argued and swore in the community after that. We could talk normally,” Yan Eidzinau, a moderator of the group “We're fed up with Lukashenka”, told charter97.org.

“I received an email yesterday morning saying our page was blocked because we were sending out spam. But I didn't send out spam. Moreover, the group ' We're fed up with Lukashenka' of 617 people disappeared. I asked how it happened that the group had disappeared, but they haven't answered yet. I am creating the community again,” the guy says.

You can join the new group “ We're fed up with Lukashenka” on Odnoklassniki social networking website here.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Minsk on-duty policeman committed suicide

A police officer killed himself in the head with a Makarov pistol and died immediately.

An anonymous person told TUT.BY that a police officer killed himself while on duty at the second police station of the Frunzenski district police department in Minsk on 47 Odintsova Street.

The Minsk department of the Investigation Committee says no criminal case has been opened and declines to comment on rumours.

Some details were received from an anonymous well-informed source. According to him, the incident happened on the night of October 29-39 in the rest room at the police station. A police officer shot himself with a Makarov pistol and died immediately. A criminal investigator from the same police station was lying on the bed in the same room. The bullet went through his co-worker's head and flew some centimetres from him. The invstigator was so stressed that he needed psychologist's help.

The policeman had a wife and two children. He didn't have problems in family or at work. He was respected by commanders. It's unknown that made the police officer commit suicide.

Unfortunately, this is not the first case of suicide in the Belarusian police. Policemen from Byaroza and Mahilou committed suicide recently. A retired police officer from Shchuchyn killed his daughter, wounded his wife and killed himself.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Andrei Sannikov gave interview to «Reuters»

Former presidential candidate, granted political asylum in Britain, is worried about the safety of his family.

Andrei Sannikov believes the autocratic government Alexander Lukashenko could eventually fall, he said on Thursday to the world's largest news agencies "Reuters".

A former deputy foreign minister, Sannikov, 58, moved to Britain in August after being released from prison where he said officials tried to push him to kill himself.

In his first interview since coming to Britain, the soft-spoken and bearded Sannikov said his wife, Irina Khalip, was unable to leave the capital Minsk and join him in Britain because of restrictions imposed on her by the government.

"The most important thing for me now is my family and the safety of my family," Sannikov added, saying he had taken the decision to leave because it was impossible for him to stay in the country any longer.

Sannikov ran against the veteran Belarus leader in the 2010 presidential poll which Western observers said was fraudulent, and was sentenced to five years in jail last year for taking part in a protest against Lukashenko's re-election.

His wife has herself been given a suspended sentence over the protests and is barred from leaving Belarus.

"She has to be at home every day and police are watching her. Sometimes they deliberately visit in the middle of the night even though there is a small child."

Lukashenko has run Belarus since 1994, tolerating little dissent and maintaining a welfare state thanks largely to Russian economic support.

His crackdown on the opposition movement after the 2010 election prompted the European Union to impose travel bans and asset freezes on the president and several other Belarussian officials and businessmen.

"It's not a functioning system," Sannikov said. "At the moment (state) resources are aimed at crushing all forms of protest. Through all these years the authorities have only confirmed they are not capable of reform."

Asked if Belarus could one day witness the kind of revolutionary change that has swept the Arab world since early 2011, Sannikov said: "Theoretically, everything is possible".

He added he was prepared to step in to fill any ensuing political void and lead his homeland towards closer ties with Europe but said that Lukashenko's grip on power was very strong.

"I do want to go back to the country as soon as possible. If I am useful to the country then of course I would accept certain proposals," Sannikov said.

"But it's too early to say that ... This situation (exile) is not normal for me, it's a hideous situation. Of course I want to go back to the country, to a free country."

Lukashenko's system depends on financial backing from Russia, its former Soviet overlord which provides Belarus with cheap energy and other benefits, and has so far shown little sign of growing grassroots dissent.

"The game is always the same," Sannikov said. "(Lukashenko) needs money. He wants to retain authority, and to retain authority, he wants to retain this obsolete economic model.

"His aggressive behaviour against the West helps him secure Russian cash, and he is right. When Russia starts making economic demands he softens his rhetoric against the West. This game has now become very cynical."

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau

Vitold Ashurka sentenced for three days in prison

The Svislach court found the activist guilty of “participating in an unauthorized action” and “using the unregistered symbolics”.

From the court he was taken to a police station to spend the rest of the term in jail – it remains less than a day for him to stay imprisoned, Radio Svaboda reports.

According to the activist himself, the court was held in the same way as of his friends who had been sentenced earlier. The same policemen witnesses, watching of the same videotape and announcing the verdict. According to Ashurka, there was no unexpectedness. Although, he thought he could get the arrest of five days.

We would remind that on 27 October near Svislach a traditional commemoration action was held devoted to the memory of Viktar and Kastus Kalinouski brothers. Over thirty people participated in that. Policemen detained four of them – Ales Krot, Stanislava Gusakova, Vitold Ashurka and Vital Lopasau. The last one was released because he had an underage son with him. The rest of the detained spent the weekend in the local police department. Protocols were composed against them for “participating in a an unauthorized action” and “using the unregistered symbolics”. The young people were sentenced to fines and days in prison.

Commentator Aliaksandr Krasnapeutsau