Dictatorship is life-threatening

Doctors have to conceal information about swine flu outbreak in Belarus on an order of Lukashenka’s administration, and his personal attitude to the fact that people are dying in Belarus cannot be called anything but boorish.

It has been stated by the leader of “European Belarus” civil campaign leader Andrei Sannikov in an interview to charter97.org website.

“The situation with epidemic in Belarus has confirmed a simple truth – the dictatorship is dangerous for human lives. One can delude oneself with illusions that elections do not determine anything, that stolen ballots are of no consequence, but one cannot fail to see the connection between the political regime in Belarus and the threat for health and life of people which had been created by actions of the Belarusian authorities in the dangerous period for the country,” Andrei Sannikov said.

According to the politician, “even a non-expert understands that the authorities do not care about people’s health, but about concealing the truth on the epidemic’s danger, and their own unpreparedness for fighting it. Population’s vaccination against seasonal flu had been failed completely, not to mention absence of swine flu vaccines. Drugstores and hospitals are in a worse situation than in the period of usual viral infections. There is no Tamiflu on sale, which is a rescue for sick people worldwide. Doctors and pharmacies workers are exhausted, helping the sick, though they hadn’t been vaccinated themselves, and their lives are in danger”.

“State-controlled mass media continue their lies about the real situation, which causes even more rumours, and that causes panic of the population. Doctors have to conceal information on order of Lukashenka’s officials, and his attitude cannot be called anything but boorish. Only an immoral dictator who does not give a damn about the Belarusian nation can compare people with swine,” Sannikov is convinced.

As said by him, today people learn the truth only thanks to Internet and doctors who, though secretly, spread information about the situation in hospitals and about the methods of treatment of dangerous illnesses.

“Fear and passivity disseminated by Lukashenka’s regime among officials, today are really threatening to the health and life of citizens. When swine flu cases started to appear at our borders, in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, all the prevention means and medicines should have been bought, and they should begin getting ready for preventive immunization. Instead of that, huge sums of money were spent on military games, the IMF loan disappeared in an unknown direction, and the famous Lukashenka’s reserve fund seems to be spent on personal needs of officials. Suppression of the civil society in Belarus makes public control over the situation in the country impossible. Pro-regime agencies, such as the Red Cross, that were to take radical measures in such a situation, are keeping head down. Today Belarus obviously needs aid – humanitarian medical aid, assistance of WHO experts, medical laboratories, which would be able in shortest possible time make swine flu tests, however the authorities continue to hush up the danger level criminally, and are trying to charge the population and online media with the existing situation,” stated the leader of “European Belarus”.

The democratic opposition calls upon the world community, primarily Europe, to turn attention to the events in Belarus in connection with the swine flu outbreak.

“We need decisive actions of such organisations as “Doctors without Borders”. Europe is beating the alarm, when Russia stops gas transportation via the territory of Belarus, but for some reason keeps silent when deadly danger is threatening lives of Belarusians. Only joint efforts of Belarusian citizens and the world community would be able to stop dissemination of this disease in Belarus and in the neighbouring countries.