US Santa's Present for the Collective-Farmer Dictator Lukashenko

 

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

Presidential Elections in Belarus Are Rigged & Falsified Even Before the Elections on December 19th!

On December 15th, 2010 in Minsk Andrey Sannikov, a candidate for presidency, has lodged two legal applications to the Central Election Commission of Belarus with a demand to withdraw registration of Aleksandr Lukashenko as a presidential candidate, and to relieve from the office the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Lidiya Yermoshyna.

Under the Law Yermoshyna cannot be the Chair of the Central Election Commission, in the same way as Lukashenko cannot be a candidate for presidency.

It is reminded in the statements of the candidate for presidency Andrey Sannikov, that on December 6-7, 2010 in the Palace of Republic in Minsk a so-called "All-Belarusian People´s Congress" was held.

This propagandistic event was organized in the period of the election campaign, and became a platform for almost 3 hour-long speech of one of the candidates for presidency, Lukashenko. This speech was broadcasted by all state-run TV channels, by radio, and was also published in all state-run newspapers. The other presidential candidates never had a chance like that. State-run TV stations, radio and newspapers are keeping silence about them...

Thus, a prescribed limit of air time for each presidential candidate (two times by 30 minutes) was exceeded, and the additional space in state newspapers was used illegally.

Besides, this event was held in the Palace of Republic, which is not on the list created by Minsk City Executive Committee including premises where meetings of presidential candidates with voters could be held. Second violation of the Law.

The meeting was held with the use of the administrative leverage of the executive power headed by Lukashenko. In particular, the organizing committee was headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sergei Sidorskiy, and the event was financed at the expense of budget money, and not from the electoral fund of the presidential candidate. Third violation of the Law.

As long as Lidiya Yermoshyna has taken part in the "All-Belarusian Congress", Andrey Sannikov demands to relieve her from office.

"European Belarus" leader reminds that sanctions of the European Union are in force against citizen Yermoshyna for rigging the results of the previous election and republican referendum. Yermoshyna herself has stated many times herself, that she is a member of Lukashenka´s team, which is inadmissible and illegal. Yermoshina should take independent position. Fourth violation of the Law.

"Rigging the election results is a grave crime, which distorts will expression of the nation. Belarusian citizens not only have a right to fight with the electoral fraud, but must stand against criminal falsifiers in every way. Under the Law Yermoshyna cannot be the chair of the Central Election Commission, in the same way as Lukashenko cannot be a candidate for presidency.

Yarmoshyna stated that she is a member of Lukashenko´s team, thus excluding any objectivity in actions of the CEC. But it was not enough, and during her working hours she went to the illegal "All-People´s Congress" support her candidate. Lukashenko used dozens millions dollars from the budget to hold the event in his support on October Square. According to the official reports, at the moment of holding this congress his electoral fund had about 13 million Belorussian roubles. It is clear that the "All-Belarusian Congress" was held not out of the electoral fund of the candidate for presidency Lukashenko, as it is required by the law. This is FIFTH VIOLATION of the LAW! Once again as always Lukashenko slipped his hand into the pocket of Belarusians for his mercenary ends. Both Yermoshyna and Lukashenko have confirmed once again that Belarusians must change this corrupt regime quickly," a candidate for presidency in Belarus Andrey Sannikov stated.

"A free and democratic election can really take place if two these characters mentioned above would leave the stage. Their participation makes the upcoming election illegal. It is simply an insult for the Belarusian nation, which deserves a better lot.

We, Belarusian citizens, under the Constitution have a right to change authorities and freely elect our leaders. Even in today´s Constitution formalizes the principle of priority of the international law over the internal one, and international law does not allow fraudulent elections. The law is on our side in these elections. People are waiting for changes, as they had never been waiting for them in the last 16 years of the dictatorship. And it means that we have a chance to celebrate the New Year in a completely different, democratic Belarus," - ended his speech Andrey Sannikov.