Russia failed Kazulin

Russia denounced the U.S. restricting economic sanctions against Belneftekhim were politically motivated. Viktor Zubkov, head of the Russian Government, said it in Minsk on 21 March summarising the results on the session of the Council of Ministers of the so called union state.

As Viktor Zubkov thinks, such actions by the United States raise pressure on Belarus.

The head of the Russian government said: “Instead of conduction a dialog and cancelling the restricting measures, Washington continues to raise pressure on Belarus. It takes place against a background of positive steps of the Belarusian government.” The example here is latest progress of the developing of market economy in Belarus, Viktor Zubkov stressed.

Such actions by the U.S. don’t meet the international law of interstate relations, the Russian prime minister noted. “We call on Washington to review their position concerning relations with Belarus and its commercial structures,” he summarised.

Note of www.charter97.org: Russian prime minister didn’t say a word why the sanctions had been imposed against the Belarusian regime. The reason of the U.S. sanctions is refusal of the Belarusian authorities to release political prisoners. Former candidate for presidency of Belarus Alyaksandr Kazulin, youth leader Andrei Kim and entrepreneurs’ leader Syarhei Parsyukevich are in prisons now.

So, it is obvious that Russia don’t care about violation of human rights in Belarus, unlike the European Union and the U.S., who have been demanding for many years that Belarusian authorities should release prisoners of conscience, hold fair election in the country, secure rights and freedoms of Belarusians.

Moreover, the Russian government continues to ignore the destiny of former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, who set himself up as a pro-Russian politician during his electoral campaign. Only the EU and U.S. struggle for Kazulin’s freedom.