Barazenka: “We are hostages in a game started by Belarusian authorities with the West” (Video)

Convicted in the Case of 14 are political prisoners, Alyaksandr Barazenka, activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, thinks.

The oppositionist said it today at a press conference in Minsk.

Alyaksandr Barazenka noted support of people who expressed their solidarity with me gave me strength and made me remember activists of democratic organizations, independent journalists, and common citizens were fighting for his freedom.

“I’d like express my thanks and thanks of my family and relatives. I thank everyone who was coming to the jail in Valadarski Street every day and organizing rallies in my support there. I am thankful to my friends, activists of the “European Belarus” company and other organizations for coming out to streets and squares of Minsk and other Belarusian cities demanding to release political prisoners. I am grateful to you for covering the theme of political prisoners in Belarus, writing about the people who are repressed for their political views. Thanks to everyone who wrote to me and supported me. It helped me much in hard times. I felt I was not alone, people at liberty were waiting for me and fighting for my release. This inspired me and didn’t let give up,” Alyaksandr Barazenka stressed.

The activist of the “European Belarus” explained he decided to return to Belarus and not to stay in Poland where he had been studying in Kastus Kalinouski education programme, because he thought it was his debt of honour to come and respond to false accusations with those who had been already convicted in the Case of 14.

“Many people ask why I decided to return to Belarus and go to an investigator though I may have remained in Poland and continued education. I decided to do it on a number of reasons. Undoubtedly, it was a demonstration of solidarity with my friends, who had been already convicted in the Case of 14. I felt it was a debt of honour – to come and respond to false accusations with them. Moreover, it is often said a political course is allegedly changing in the country. Some people even say about liberalization.

Having returned to Belarus on my own will, having come to an investigator, I gave a chance to the authorities to demonstrate this, demonstrate their readiness for a dialog. But I was arrested some days after sanctions on high ranking Belarusians officials had been suspended. I can state with confidence there is no liberalization. Youth activists are being beaten and detained with the same cruelty. The authorities are using new methods of putting pressure on the opposition.

A judgement to me is another proof of the unchanged course of the Belarusian authorities. Liberalization is possible only when judges delivering unfair decisions are punished, when those who give them orders for these judgements are punished. When political articles are removed from the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. When people whose views differ from official ones are not repressed. When political prisoners are released and acquitted,” the opposition activist thinks.

Alyaksandr Barazenka said all convicted in the Case of 14 were political prisoners and couldn’t be called free.

“One may say I must be happy to remain at large. I can just advise to speak with other people in this case, who are serving this punishment. They can say much about pleasure of this “freedom”. We can’t live homes without a permit of a special controlling body. We can’t go to public places, see our friends. Moreover, we must let a militia officer in flat at his or her first request at any time of day. It can’t be called freedom. I think were hostages in the game started by the Belarusian authorities with the West. In my view, by such actions, the authorities want to reduce tension of the youth resistance in Belarus. The closer to the end of dictatorship, the more inadequate its actions,” Alyaksandr Barazenka said.

In view of the opposition activist, we see controversial steps of the Belarusian authorities.

“On the one hand, Kim, Kazulin, Parsyukevich are at large. On the other hand, more than ten new political prisoners appeared in the country. The authorities want a dialog with the West but at the same time they are spitting upon requirements and recommendations of the European Union. These zigzagging can only demonstrate the Belarusian authorities do not have a clear vision of the country’s future and their own future. In this case, they are afraid of us most of all – young free people. People, who know what is going on in the country, who know that changes a re needed and are able to bring these changes in the country. Those who are fighting for free and independent European Belarus,” Barazenka said.