Alyaksandr Kazulin: “We must struggle for every citizen”

“There were just facade changes, not inner changes in Belarus. Releasing political prisoners doesn’t mean an institution of political prisoners has been closed. The attitude may change tomorrow and new political prisoners will appear,” former political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin told in an interview to Polskie Radio.

– A month ago, the Belarusians knew about Kazulin, knew he was in prison. You are at large now, but it seems few people know what you are doing today.

– After two and a half years in prison, one needs to adopt to life. When one falls out of life, and then needs to come back, it is rather difficult. As I was released during the parliamentary election campaign, I was caught in the turmoil of the events. I took part in the electoral campaign of my daughter, who run for MP in Minsk. I also took part in experts’ evaluation, helped in reaching decisions in Europe and in the United States, because issues of the future of Belarus were considered at that time.

– Just after your release, you had meetings with president of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and later with George Bush in the US, in a week your are going to pay a visit to Warsaw where you are to meet with minister of foreign affaires Radoslaw Sikorski. What topics do you usually discuss at such meetings?

– The main topic is the future, what will come first; human rights, freedom, democratisation of the society. All these points will be objects of trade. We concern about this. What will come first.

– You, or to be more precise, your release, has become a formal ground of lifting sanctions against A. Lukashenka and his team. Are you surprised that a person, who ordered, was lifted sanctions, while the executors weren’t?

– This is my personal opinion: there were some for imposing sanctions – someone beat people, someone delivered wring judgements, someone cheated elections, someone murdered. They should have found out the reasons of imposing sanctions, and later lift them. But the Europeans chose another way: they made a great advance for the Belarusian political regime. As Benita Ferrero-Waldner said, it is a historical chance for Belarus. Whether go step on a civilised way, or as Lukashenka said – “I am not going to lead my country to the civilised world”.

– Do you think he will lead now?

– We always have this hope. Mr Lukashenka has probably got tired of constant wars, looking for enemies, and he has probably understood that cooperation and collaboration are the most best ways for development of the country. Perhaps, he will work out strategy of development of the state. I’d like to hope. Europe hopes for this, too, but they should realise whom they are dealing with. Our hegemon cares for preserving his power first of all, and only then he thinks about the advantage of the country and people. I’d like everyone to understand this and make the Belarusian authorities do concrete steps and actions: changes in electoral laws, freedom of media, opportunities for registration and activity of NGOs and political parties, as well as cancelling of articles of the Criminal Code, in accordance to which people are persecuted for their political views. These are main aspects of changing of the authorities and appearing of a new face of Lukashenka.

– Your release proves this face has changed a little...

– You must notice that it has been just a cosmetic change. These are facade changes, not inner ones. Releasing of political prisoners doesn’t mean the institution of political prisoners has been closed. The attitude may change tomorrow and new political prisoners will appear. It is important to look for and remove the reasons of appearing of political prisoners.

– Changes demand concrete relations on the level of technical groups and on higher level. Should Western leaders support Alyaksandr Lukashenka?

– It is important not to forget the opposition at these meetings. If it is a conversation of three sides, not two, this direction will be good. In other case it will be an ordinary trade. Trade of our rights, freedoms, and our lives, after all.

– What role will Alyaksandr Kazulin play in this process?

– I need some time to find myself in the society. I don’t differ from any citizen of Belarus. What happened to my family, is happening with many Belarusians. We must struggle for every family, for every citizen, for changes in their attitude towards life.