Give the People of Belarus a Voice!

Today the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) and their numerous global partners hold a street protest rally “Europe, Give the People of Belarus a Voice!”

The rally is timed to the 4th anniversary of the disputed “presidential elections” in Belarus, which results were falsified.

According to the tradition which lasts 4 years already, Young Federalists will gag the well-known statues of their cities. In this way they are to remind their fellow countrymen that citizens of a European country, Belarus, headed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, are in the same situation all the time, Radio Svaboda informs.

As informed from the headquarters of the JEF in Brussels, last year the rally “Europe, Give the People of Belarus a Voice!” took place in about 120 towns of the world. This year the number of cities who participate is greater.

“In most cities of the world the action is to take place today and tomorrow. However in some countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia and others, they have already taken place because of time difference. In the beginning, in 2006, when Lukashenka received the illegitimate victory in the presidential election, we stages actions mostly in the night, as in most cities it is not so easy to climb a statue in daytime to gag it. Now we are doing that in the day and in the morning. Our main slogans are: “Give a voice to people in Belarus” and “Free Belarus”. Beside a gagged mouth of statues, other forms of support of human rights in Belarus emerged. Thus, one girl from Cambodia sent us a photo, where words “Free Belarus” were written on her body. Her face was hidden, as not in all countries such slogans could be freely displayed. All participants make pictures of their actions and send to us. We collect these photographs and place at our web-recourses,” said JEF Secretary General Peter Matjašič, who was one of initiators of the action.

As said by the JEF coordinators on Belarus, such an enthusiasm of young people from all countries of the world demonstrates their concern over human rights violations in Belarus and absence of firm position of the EU in this issue.

Members of the JEF call upon the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Catherine Ashton, to play a more active part in the foreign policy. They believe it’s high time to overrule the decision on freezing sanctions against Belarusian officials.