Wow! Suddenly Lukashenka has got a Christmas present from none other than the US.
US Secretary of State John Carry called the violent treatment of peaceful demonstrators in Kyiv "disgusting".
The American Department of State clearly expressed its support for the people of Ukraine and their rightful demands. The world community insists that the violent crackdown on peaceful Ukrainians is investigated and those behind it are punished.
Three years after the assaults on peaceful demonstrators on December 19, 2010, mass arrests and prison terms, envoy from the same State Department of the US Eric Rubin arrived in Minsk to offer a constructive cooperation to the dictator. Moreover, he promised that the US will assist Belarus in getting new loans from the IMF, in case the situation with human rights improves - in other words, if hostage trade resumes.
Suddenly Lukashenka has got what he has been working for since December 19, 2010: if the West resumes this kind of human trafficking, he can take new hostages and trade them for money, a scarce resource for maintaining the work of punitary institutions.
Initially, the visit of the Deputy Assistance Secretary was scheduled for October, before the summit in Vilnius. The visit was postponed in order to wait for the outcome of the summit. The rebellion in Ukraine is directly connected to the summit in Vilnius. Ukrainians do not wish to be ruled by liars and fight for their European future. Belarusians want the same. The US has shown solidarity with the Ukrainian nation, and at the same time it sent a high official to Minsk for contacts with the illegitimate powers guilty of using violence against the peaceful demonstration of December 19, 2010, as well as other crimes.
Suddenly, the dictator has got a Christmas gift from non other than the US, the leader of the free world. The Belarusian people have also received a peculiar present, right before the anniversary of the violent break-up of the Square on December 19th, 2010 when more than 700 people were arrested
including SEVEN (!) ex-presidential candidates. One of them - Mikalai Statkevich is still in jail for nothing since that time:
http://freebelaruspress.blogspot.com/2013/12/heating-is-turned-off-in-mikalai.html
At the end of this article I would like to remind my readers that On October 6, 2004 US Congress passed the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 (H.R. 854) sponsored by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and others, to fund a broad range of measures to support democracy in Belarus. Although this is a beginning, the executive branch and Congress need to do more. Specifically, they should:
1. - Denounce publicly Lukashenko's violations of the constitution and electoral procedures, and the State Department should amplify its criticism of Belarus' flawed political system.
2. - Declare, with the EU, that the referendum, parliamentary and presidential elections are illegitimate if observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe find election falsification or other violations.
3. - Use domestic and international law enforcement agencies, such as Interpol, in cooperation with EU members, to coordinate criminal investigations into homicides, money laundering, and illegal arms trading linked to the Lukashenko´s regime.
4. - Investigate the disappearances of Lukashenko's political opponents, provided there is a jurisdictional nexus to the U.S. and/or Europe. Both the U.S. Justice Department and its European counterparts can do so. Moreover, Europe and the U.S. could initiate criminal proceedings against those in the president's circle who ordered and participated in the murder of opposition politicians and journalists.
5. - Seize assets of Lukashenka and his inner circle through criminal proceedings against illegal arms sales and money laundering operations if Belarus violated U.S. or international sanctions. The U.S. and EU would be entitled to enforce such sanctions even if the violations did not occur in America or Europe.
6. - Fund, together with the EU, an international broadcasting operation by opposition radio and television stations from countries around Belarus, and expand people-to-people and educational exchanges.
7. - Consult with Russia regarding possible political changes that would make Belarus more democratic and predictable. Such a coordinated effort would benefit Russia by making the transit route for Russian gas to Europe less prone to Lukashenko's interference and would eliminate the need for Russia to support the Belarusian economy with subsidized natural gas at a cost of over $2 billion per year.
Almost TEN(!) years have passed since the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 was adopted and stayed only on paper with NO or little actions.
Meantime fascism is rising steadily in Belarus in the heart of Europe.
AS & MB
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