Andrei Sannikov in Salihorsk (Photo)

Andrei Sannikov, the leader of the civil campaign European Belarus, paid a working visit to Salihorsk, a town of miners.

As the presidential campaign hasn’t been announced in Belarus yet, Andrei Sannikov visits Belarusian regions and meets representatives of the opposition political parties, civil society, human rights activists and journalists. These meetings form the candidate’s team. At the same time, arrangements on bigger meeting with the electorate are made.

“I had a very important conversation with the residents of Salihorsk. People are deeply concerned about the situation in the country, they asked concrete questions about the general themes and cases of human rights violations. According to representatives of Belaruskali, the workers are extremely concerned about their company. Rumours are circulating, documents on selling shares are being prepared in secret, foreign investors, in particular the Chinese, visit the enterprise in secret, but people are not told anything concrete. They are concerned that selling the company’s share may lead to possible mass dismissals that would answer not the interests of workers but interests of a small circle of officials and businessmen.

The dwellers of Salihorsk were especially indignant with outrage of the militia in the district. They stressed the outrage in region cannot be compared with that in Minsk and region centers. The local authorities think they cannot be punished and society does not have any opportunities to control them.

I can say in general that people not just ask, but demand to change the authorities, restore justice and stop outrage,” the European Belarus’s leader said after a visit to Salihorsk.