Thousands of officials must be blacklisted

Brussels plans to expand the lists of persons who are banned from entering the European Union by two dozens of Belarusian judges and prosecutors.

They are implicated in criminal cases against opposition representatives. Besides, the same concerns heads of universities evict students for political activities.

The decision to expand the blacklist could be adopted on March 21, during the meeting of foreign ministers of the European Union countries. Are these restrictions effective? Will such kind of punishment be noticeable for certain lawyers or heads of universities? Experts of Radio Svaboda answer these questions.

The former judge of the Constitutional Court of Belarus Mikhail Pastukou finds such measures partially a demonstration of the European Union’s attitude towards the legal system of Belarus in the first place.

- Certainly, one might say that judges who pass judgements against those people, they are compromised deeply. And primarily by not guaranteeing full objectivity and independence in solving such issues. Not judicial, but rather political decisions are being taken. To my mind, there are grounds for them to be put on the list. Certainly, when we can speak about bias of these judges considering the results of court proceedings.

- Is there any need to expand this list by other persons?

- It seems to me that it matters little. It is a relative thing, whether these workers of courts go to Europe or not. It happens rather seldom in reality moreover, they can go to other places. So, to my mind, it is not am crucial decision. It is probably of more populist nature, and is intended to show the attitude to the events in Belarus. And among other things – to the today’s Belarusian justice. It is a kind of assessment of our actualness, including legal actualness, by Europe. Moral aspects are more observable in it.

The former deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation, Pavel Znavets, is convinced that the sanctions which are measured out in doses by the European Union now, are to insignificant to speak about their effectiveness. As he thinks, thousands of people responsible for repressions in the country should be blacklisted.

- When we are speaking about visa sanctions, they should concern at least one thousand officials, starting from heads of departments in administrations and ministries and to deputies and ministers proper. Al of them should be blacklisted, and only in such a way something could be achieved. It would be effective then. And now they are travelling everywhere, receive travel allowances in envelopes, and everyone is happy. They are spitting upon it from a high tower. And moreover, they are laughing at Nyaklyaeu, Sannikov and his wife, his little son. It means -- “what you see is what you get”. They should have done what Zyanon Paznyak had written in his recent letter, without waiting for the brutal finale. But it I not too late now. Let us see, what the reaction would be to these measures. And I think, there will be no reaction at all.

It should be added that a possibility to impose sanctions against certain companies which are indirectly involved in violence against the regime’s opponents is being considered. For instance, the firms which produce equipment for crushing opposition rallies are meant. In this case, MAZ (Minsk Automobile Plant), which has created and actively produces paddy wagons – could be affected by these sanctions.