Alyaksandr Milinkevich: “No fundamental changes towards democracy in Belarus seen”

The leader of the “For Freedom” movement commented on Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s remark on fulfilling the EU offers.

“It is good if the authorities change the legislation towards more free elections. We shouldn’t overestimate the letter of the law in our country. If we have no free courts, independent prosecutor’s agencies, I don’t think changes in the law can make elections more democratic. Practice is the main thing. But the practice is very bad – traditionally, dissents and independent candidates are being persecuted. I think a certain step will be made. Maybe, we’ll see superficial but not fundamental changes. But I wish I was mistaken.

What to 12 conditions, they are still topical. Speaking about their smaller number, this was suggestion to male first steps, but 12 conditions remain. These are not conditions only for Belarus, they are the same for all partners of the European Union. I would welcome real steps – absence of political prisoners, free mass media, accreditation of foreign journalists, newspapers in the official distribution network. God bless this happens so. Usually, there’s a long distance between declaration and putting something into practice. This is not just a game between Europe and Belarus, this is building trust. We don’t have trust so far. We lost this year, because no fundamental changes towards democracy in Belarus were seen,” Alyaksandr Milinkevich told in an interview to Radio Svaboda.