Letter of “Belarusian Poles” to Polish authorities dictated by Belarusian officials

As it was found out that many authors of the letter to the Polish authorities didn’t even sign it.

As it has recently been revealed, a group of Belarusian citizens of Polish origin appealed to the Polish government. The authors of the letter ask “not to divide the Poles into ins and outs and to take action to stop spreading of false information by the Polish media”.

The letter to the Prime Minister, Marshals of the Sejm and Senate was signed by 32 people, who call themselves Belarusian Poles. The list includes a pensioner, a director, a doctor, an accountant, a housewife, a businessman, a worker, a teacher, and some famous people such as rector of Academy of Arts Richard Smolski, rector of Brest State University Mechyslau Chasnouski, and deputy head of the National Library Stanislau Kasperovich.

They letter says: “The Belarusian state has never violated and is not violating the rights of the Belarusian citizens, who call themselves national minorities, including the Polish ethnic minority.”

“We do not call to divide the Belarusian Poles into ins and outs. Belarus is a multinational country where all nations full citizens of the country regardless of nationality and religion,” the letter says.

These people say Andzelika Borys and her supporters do not have the right to represent interests of the Polish minority of Belarus.

“These people do not have respect in the society. They have discredited themselves by violating the laws of our state, constant attempts to stir up a conflict among the Belarusian Poles,” the letter informs.

The authors ask to organize a meeting with Polish officials in order the Polish community to be able to hear the true information about the situation with the Belarusian Poles.

Polskie Radio External Service asked the authors of the letter what would they like to talk about with the Polish authorities. Journalists phoned to headmistress of a secondary school in Dzeraunyay Maria Shumchyk, whose signature was put under the letter.

“You know, I don’t give any comments on the phone. I don’t find this necessary. Sorry...” Shumchyk said and hung up.

Journalists put the same question to Iryna Myadvedskaya, a teacher of the Vuakavysk school #8. She didn’t know she was among the people who signed the letter.

She learnt about the content of the letter from journalists of Polskie Radio External Service. She said she had been asked to answer some questions about persecution on ethnic motives and sign a letter.

“I said I would sign only after I read it. But I wasn’t read the letter. I don’t know who signed it,” the woman noted.

However, Iryna Myadvedskaya agrees on one item of the letter saying there’s no ethnically motivated persecution in Belarus.

“I don’t feel persecution. We have courses to study the Polish language at our school. We teach in Polish. Everyone can speak Polish if he or she wants. We have no persecution. Neither Polish nor Belarusian authorities discredit me,” she said.

Iryna Myadvedskaya refused to say the name of the person who had phoned her offering to sign the letter. However, her signature was put by another person, Tamara Nekrashevich from Mozyr, a member of the pro-governmental Union of Poles led by Stanislau Syamashka.

– We discussed this issue at the congress, – Nekrashevich said.

– But the letter was also signed by people, who don’t belong to your union.

– This question on raised at the congress. It was a very long congress, this question was the last theme. Some people decided to think it over, but later we had meetings with everyone and signed the letter.

– Is this an official statement of the Union of Poles?

– Sure.

– Iryna Myadvedskaya said she didn’t sign the letter.

– She was present at the congress.

– She told me she is not a member of the union.

– Not a member? Maybe... I don’t know everyone, the organization is very large.

Tamara Nekrshevich condemned a ban to entry Poland for some activists of the pro-governmental Union of Poles. She doesn’t know whether she was put on the black list.

The Polish government hasn’t officially reacted to the letter.