US sanctions don’t let Lukashenka rest

Alyaksandr Lukashenka said sanctions imposed by the US against Belneftekhim concern were economic blackmail of unfair competitors. “Acts towards Belneftekhim concern can’t be named other than economic blackmail of unfair competitors trying not to allow Belarusian enterprises to the Latin-American market,” A. Lukashenka said on Tuesday, speaking in the Belarusian State University.

He also reminded that “threats to block foreign bank accounts of Lukashenka and other high-ranked Belarusian officials have sounded.” “Having found nothing they decided to tighten an economic stranglehold on state enterprises, the accounts of which they are threating to block today,” he emphasised.

“Such methods can’t be acquitted, not only we, but other countries supporting us see their discriminative character, too,” the Belarusian head of state said.

Release of political prisoners is main condition of normalisation relations with EU

At the same time Lukashenka said it’s necessary to conduct relations with the European Union. According to him, early release of some political prisoners is caused by humane considerations and is a step for normalisation of the relations with the EU. “We have made concessions. I mean early or conditional releases of some prisoners, the West has special feelings to. By no means is their release connected with excuse of the committed offences, it is caused by just humane considerations,” A. Lukashenka said in the Belarusian State University on Tuesday.

According to the head of state, “we have turned over this painful page of relations with the West and we have been the first to make advances. “Now it’s time for the European Union to demonstrate its good intentions towards the Belarusian people,” he marked.

Note of www.charter97.org: Unfortunately, Alyaksandr Lukashenka is wrong, and the “painful page” of relations between the Belarusian regime and the West wasn’t turned over. The European Union and the United States continue to concern about violation of human rights in Belarus. Release of political prisoners remains the main condition for normalisation of relations between the EU, the US and Belarus. Political prisoners are still in Belarusian prisons, among them are former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment for organisation of mass protest actions against rigging the election results in 2006; politician Andrei Klimau, imprisoned for 2 years for publication of the article on the Internet; journalist Alyaksandr Zdzvbizhkou sentenced to 3 years in prison for reprinting of the Prophet Mohammed caricatures from the Danish newspaper; Andrei Kim, leader of the civil campaign “Initiative,” detained on the entrepreneurs’ protest rally on 21 January and transferred to the pretrial detention center on Valadarski Street after 10 days of administrative arrest. The youth activist faces up to 6 years in prison for accusation of allegedly “acts of violence against a militiaman.”