Andrei Kim: “By autumn they would ban even the things that are legal”
8- 5.01.2010, 11:37
The youth democratic organisations of Belarus expect stepping up repressions in the run up to the presidential elections 2011.
Zmitser Dashkevich, Young Front leader, in an interview to BelaPAN stated that in 2010 the Young Front will continue its activities.
“It concerns campaigns “Belarusian book to Belarusian children” and “For Belarusian language”. We will collect signatures under an address of citizens to Belarusian government with a request to create really equal conditions for development of Russian and Belarusian languages. Other campaigns are planned too,” Dashkevich stated.
He noted that 2010 is decisive for the life of the country for the next few years. “It is the year of local elections, and the beginning of the presidential campaign. We certainly will do everything to mobilize our citizens not only to come to poling stations, but to defend their votes in the case of an election results fraud,” Dashkevich said.
As said by him, these activities would cause stepping up of repressions.
A youth leader Andrei Kim has stated that he has no “bright illusions” about the situation in 2010.
“Even in the beginning of the presidential campaign I predict crackdown to increase. Since autumn 2010 the situation would be shaped in such a way that even the legal things would be impossible to do, as the practice of the last election shows. Officials will think that young people plan to do something politically charges, and ban everything without exception,” Kim said.
Kim is as skeptic about local elections in spring 2010. “Look at their rhetoric: everybody says that “some people may be accepted to local councils”. But nobody hopes however that there will be a vote count. Nobody speaks about elections as such, about a vote count. Everybody talks about “allowing”,” he noted.
At the same time, Kim hopes that informal youth movements will develop. “We have a dictatorship in the county not because the dictator, as many people say, is in power, but because we have a dictator in our heads. And we should fight with that y positive, kind actions, which is exactly the aim of informal movements,” the youth leader stated.
