Vytautas Landsbergis: “Forceful army conscription is equal to taking hostages”
2- 2.04.2009, 15:54
When discussing the resolution on Belarus, members of the European Parliament admitted that forceful conscription of opposition activists is noticed in the country and called to release political prisoners.
Polish MEP Jacek Protasiewicz made an amendment demanding the Belarusian authorities to releases recently arrested political prisoners, Radio Svaboda reports. Protasiewicz also demanded to re-consider the judgements to participants of the Case of 14, who took part in a protest rally of entrepreneurs in Minsk in January 2008.
Lithuanian MEP Vytautas Landsbergis suggested the MEPs to support three activists of the Belarusian opposition, forcefully drafted into the army.
“One of them is son of the opposition leader. It must be equal to taking hostages – we draft your son into the army, because you are an oppositionist, and he may have problems there. This amendment would guarantee security to those forcefully called up for military service,” Landsbergis said.
It should be reminded that in February 2009, militia and KGB officers detained youth leaders Ivan Shyla, Franak Vyachorka, and Zmitser Khvedaruk. The opposition activists were forcefully taken to polyclinics for medical examination and sent to army barracks in spite of their medical condition.
