David Kramer: We must stop believing Lukashenka

The German Marshall Fund held a discussion its New York office on Thursday focusing on political consequences of the Belarusian presidential election.

We remind that about 700 people were jailed after the crackdown on a demonstration in Minsk on December 19 calling the Belarusian authorities to re-count the presidential election results. Most of the detained were released, but they will have to pay fines for taking part in an unauthorized demonstration. As Viasna human rights center reports, 25 demonstrators were presented charges on January 5.

They are charged under two parts of article 293 (Mass riot) of the Criminal Code of Belarus. Article 293 of the Criminal code provides for a punishment from 3 up to 15 years in prison. 23 of the accused persons are kept in custody, 2 were released on their own recognizance. 8 persons are named suspects, 4 of them are in custody, 3 are released on their own recognizance, one person is abroad, Belarusian independent website Charter’97 informs. The arrested people include four presidential candidates, their election agents, democratic activists, and journalists.

The objective of the GMF-organized round table discussion was a desire of speakers to give the world community the detailed information about these prisoners of conscience, the Voice of America reports.

The discussion gathered David Kramer, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs and now Freedom House director; Natallya Kalyada, the Belarus Free Theatre director, and Iryna Krasouskaya, founder and president of We Remember foundation. Iryna Krasouskaya’s husband and his friend, vice speaker of the Belarusian parliament Viktar Hanchar, disappeared in 1999. European experts suppose both oppositionists became victims of politically motivated kidnappings organized by the regime of the current Belarusian president.

The real face of Lukashenka

Kalyada and Krasouskaya took part in a peaceful demonstration on December 19. Many of their close friends were detained; some of them were later accused of organizing mass riot. Kalyada herself was detained, but released within 24 hours under the public pressure.

The women shared their impressions of the event on the Square and told about the repressions started by the authorities after December 19 presidential election.

The Belarusian activists tried to turn attention of other participants of the event to the people who are still in the KGB jail.

“The only reason for what is happening to the arrested people now is that Lukashenka is going to completely destroy the opposition,” Iryna Krasouskaya said.

“As for Andrei Sannikov, who was regarded by Lukashenka the main opposition candidate, all the actions taken against him prove that the head of state settles his personal scores with him. Another rprove is that Sannikov’s wife, Iryna khalip, who wrote a number of articles criticizing Lukashenka, is arrested, too,” she concludes.

The Freedom House director, David Kramer, also harshly criticized the regime of the Belarusian president. He attacked the European governments, which had been flirting with Lukashenka ahead of the election in hope he would find enough courage to carry out democratic elections for the first time.

As Kramer said, we must stop believing him! He is great at playing off the West against Russia. He always wins in such games. The democratic government should at last see his real face. Kramer admitted he cannot still understand why President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili was among the first persons to congratulate Lukashenka on his victory in the election.

The speakers addressed their emotional statements to representatives of diplomatic missions in Washington, civic activists, academicians, directors of big NGO and journalists, who attended the event.

After the discussion, Iryna Krasouskaya and Natallya Kalyada had a personal meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had earlier urged the Belarusian authorities to release political prisoners.