Напісаў ліст дэпутату парлямэнта ад майго раёна.
To:hoeyk@parliament.uk
Dear Ms Hoey,
My name is Alexander Chaychits, I am a resident of your constituency in Lambeth. I would like to draw your attention to yesterday’s violent crackdown of an opposition protest in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, following a presumably falsified presidential election.
The official results of the election's first round show the number of 79% in support of incumbent president Alexander Lukashenka. There are many serious indications that this number may be a result of falsification. In the evening after the election the opposition has gathered a demonstration to protest against vote rigging and to call for a new election without the participation of Lukashenka. The protest gathered between 20 and 40 thousands and ended being beaten down by riot police. More than 400 people have been arrested, including main opposition candidates Uladzimir Niakliayeu, Andrei Sannikau, Mikola Statkevich, Vital Rymasheuski, Ryhor Kastusiou, Dzmitry Uss. The main opposition candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu has been seriously injured and taken to hospital, but was then abducted from the hospital by the police during the night.
Alexander Lukashenka has ruled the country for over 16 years as a dictator, his second legitimate term in office expired in 2006 and should he win this election, this would be his forth term. Since 1995, not a single election or referendum in Belarus has been recognised by the international community (the OSCE, the EU and other international bodies) as democratic. The presidential election of 2010 has been organised with the traditional set of violations:
- There have been reports of people being forced to early voting, which is believed to be a main instrument of vote rigging because of no control over bulletins
- Opposition candidates have only had a narrow access to television and radio, which is almost exclusively under state control, while promotion of Lukashenka has been dominating the air
- Virtually no representatives of the opposition have been included in local vote counting commissions; independent observers have on most places been prevented from effectively monitoring the election, etc.
Belarus is the last country of the European continent which has an expressively authoritarian regime and where serious violations of human rights are part of the daily routine. Independent media face constant pressure from the authorities while state media is object to censorship. There are no representatives of the opposition in the national parliament, only a handful of opposition representatives are members of local councils. People involved in unsanctioned political activity or disloyal to the regime of president Alexander Lukashenka are under constant threat of losing jobs in the state-dominated economy or expulsion from universities.
All major rankings (Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, Freedom House and others) as well as reports by human rights groups like Amnesty International, Reporters without Borders place Belarus among the world’s most repressive regimes.
The terrible fact is that this country is just 2 hours of flight away from Heathrow. Most of Belarus’ neighbours are already members of the European Union while Belarus itself remains the last splinter of the totalitarian Soviet empire.
At the same time, the current presidential election took place during a thaw in relations between the EU and the regime of Lukashenka. There are many indications that the EU has taken a real-political approach to the issue and prepares to recognise the election in exchange of the regime in Minsk creating an impression of making steps towards democratisation. According to media reports, the EU has prepared a $3bn aid package for Belarus if the election would be fair and democratic.
The Belarusian authorities have indeed tried to create a visibility of a democratic progress. However the Election Day has clearly demonstrated that it was only an illusion. The recognition of this election by the EU would present a threat to Belarus’ democratic future and heavily discredit the Union’s adherence to democratic values. As a UK taxpayer I would strongly oppose my money to be spent on EU supporting the authoritarian regime in Belarus.
From your official website I know that you have been engaged in foreign affairs and in protection of human rights in various parts of the world. I hope that you would therefore understand the problems of Belarus more than most politicians.
I would like to ask you to raise the Belarusian issue in the Parliament’s work and to initiate a serious analysis of the election. If it is confirmed that the election has not been held in accordance with democratic standards, there is no way it could be recognised. The EU should appeal to the Belarusian authorities to stop violation of human rights and to respect the standards set out in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, relevant documents of the OSCE and other international treaties of which Belarus is a part of.
You may follow these links for more information:
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/12/belarussian-presidential-elections-thousands-protest/
http://belarusdigest.com/2010/12/19/blood-on-the-streets-as-belarus-authorities-announce-election-results/
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1c92f7a2-0c0f-11e0-b1a3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz18e7CG31h
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/world/europe/21belarus.html?src=twrhp
http://www.belarus-petition.org/
http://zoneofsilence.org/
Please feel free to contact me if you need any assistance. I am a journalist and a member of the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain and the Anglo-Belarusian Society. I have contacts with the democratic opposition in Belarus and could help you establish communication with it if you wish.
It is believed by many that the date of the election has deliberately been set as close as possible to Christmas holidays in order to prevent international reaction to violations. It is our duty to make the voice of people of Belarus heard in the world despite attempts by the regime to prevent this.
Sincerely yours,
Alexander Chaychits
[адрас]
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