Let’s stop political repressions!

Leaders of the youth movements of Belarus have called upon holding a rally on October Square on March 12 at 6 p.m. with a demand to release political prisoners. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner is to visit Minsk on this day.

The initiative to hold the rally on March 12 has been put forward by the leader of the campaign “Jeans for Freedom” Yauhen Afnagel and the Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich.

The text of the address follows:

“On October 13 last year the Council of the European Union has suspended visa sanctions against high Belarusian officials and adopted a decision to renew political contacts with the official Minsk. Certain conditions had been named which fulfillment could make cooperation of the EU and Belarus possible. Firstly, it is absence of political prisoners, democratization of the electoral legislation, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

5 months have passed since this decision has been adopted, and we see that the situation is not changing. None of the requirements of the EU has been fulfilled.

Crackdown on opposition hasn’t stopped; on the contrary, it has increased. The regime brutally disperses peaceful street rallies, arrests and imposes huge fines for participation in protests.

Political prisoners still exist in Belarus. They are Mikalay Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, Ihar Asipenka, Artsyom Dubski. Young people who are serving the sentence for participation in the rally of private entrepreneurs last year, are under threat of imprisonment as well: Maxim Dashuk, Alyaksandr Charnyshou, Tatsyana Tsishkevich, Alyaksandr Barazenka, Paval Vinahradau, Mikhail Subach, Alyaksei Bochar, Mikhail Kryvau, Mikhail Pashkevich, Alyaksandr Straltsou.

The opposition does not have any access to state-run mass media, and most independent newspapers still do not have an opportunity to be published and distributed in Belarus.

On March 12 EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner is to visit Minsk. The aim of this visit is to make sure that changes are taking place in Belarus.

But the situation won’t change after backstage talks with the dictator. Real changes in Belarus depend primarily on us, Belarusian citizens, and on our solidarity.

We urge you to come to Kalinouski (October) Square on March 12, at 6 p.m. and bring portraits of political prisoners, to demand from the authorities of Belarus to stop political crackdown, real liberalization and fulfillment of the EU conditions. We call upon all the democratic organisations to join this rally. Only together we will see our demands fulfilled!

We also invite Benita Ferrero-Waldner to the rally for her to see for herself the “democratic changes” which are allegedly taking place in Belarus.

MARCH 12, 6 P.M., MINSK, KALINOUSKI (OCTOBER) SQUARE

FREEDOM TO POLITICAL PRISONERS! STOP POLITICAL REPRESSIONS!

Yauhen Afnagel, (“Jeans for freedom!”)

Zmitser Dashkevich (“The Young Front”)