Belarusians picketing Deutsche Bank

Pickets will be held in several European countries to show protest against rendering financial aid to the dictatorial regime of Lukashenka.

Protest actions will be carried out in London, Paris, Prague, Warsaw, Kyiv and Antwerp on October 19. The pickets are initiated by Free Belarus Now campaign, British human right organization Index on Censorship and European Belarus civil campaign.

Places and time of holding pickets:

Paris, 11:30 am, 3 Avenue De Friedland 75008

Antwerp, 5:00 pm, Frankrijklei 119-A1, 2060

Warsaw, 5:00 am, al. Armii Ludowej 26, 00 – 609

Kyiv, 3:00 pm, 18 Lavrska Street

Prague, 10:00 am, Jungmannova 34/750

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, 23 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PZ

Organizers call to send the following petition to Deutsche Bank.

A petition (you can send it here)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my concern over your role as broker to the government of Belarus.

The history of human rights abuses in Belarus is well documented. Over the last year thousands of people have been arrested and imprisoned for using their basic human rights of freedom of speech and freedom of expression. The capital that you have helped raise is used to fund the police and military that have carried out these horrendous abuses.

Political prisoners are still being held in inhumane conditions in Belarus; among them are candidates who stood in the presidential elections of December 2010. Their families have been abused and harassed, they have been tortured.

Both the EU and the US have imposed sanctions on the Belarusian regime, and have expressed concern for the disregard shown by Alexander Lukashenko for the basic human rights of his people. The EU declared earlier this month that they are ready to impose harsher sanctions if the human rights situation inside Belarus does not improve. They have already extended the list of Belarusian officials subject to travel bans and many EU members are now expressing their readiness for economic sanctions. The IMF has refused further aid because of the regime’s fiscal irresponsibility.

The Committee on International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus has released an appeal to financial institutions, calling on then to take into account the human rights situation inside the country when commencing investment programmes or providing financial assistance to the Republic of Belarus. They assert that any financial assistance would be ineffective because of conditions inside Belarus.

On 29 September members of the Free Belarus Now campaign committee raised their concerns about your work for the Belarusian government in a private meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She expressed disappointment at your decision.

Free Belarus Now and Index on Censorship also raised your involvement in this consortium alongside RBS, Sberbank and BNP Paribas with the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg.

After Free Belarus Now and Index on Censorship met with the Royal Bank of Scotland in August, they made a commitment to stop acting as broker to Belarus, stating: "Given sanctions, the deteriorating political situation in Belarus and the fact that it has reneged on key elements of the IMF programme, RBS has ceased any type of capital-raising for or on behalf of the Belarus republic."

The Deutsche Bank should make the same choice. You should consider the human impact of your actions. Your dealings with Belarus are funding the terrorisation of a nation in the heart of Europe.

Please declare publicly, as did RBS, that you will no longer participate in any capital raising activities on behalf of the Republic of Belarus.

Please choose to protect the human rights of the people of Belarus and cease to aid Europe's last dictator.