Belarusian diaspora stands for boycotting Ice Hockey World Championship

Holding the world championship is impossible in the country, where political prisoners are being tortured.

“All of us living in a free world should take the responsibility for gaining the release and rehabilitation of all m political prisoners in Belarus,” the Belarusian-American Association (BAZA) addresses the Belarusians of the world. “We should launch a world-wide campaign that will become a threat for Lukashenka, and the Ice Hockey World Championship, triumphant for him, will not be held in Belarus or will be boycotted by many countries.”

BAZA offers a sample appeal that is supposed to be sent to governments, politicians, ice hockey federations and youth organizations, “Nasha Niva” newspaper reports.

The appeal says about political prisoners in Belarus and calls to take best efforts to influence the appropriate institutions, which, in turn, are able to have an impact on the person, who solely decides who must be imprisoned and released in Belarus – Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

BAZA urges all Belarusian organizations all over the world and individuals to inform the association about their activity in this field and assumes the responsibility for coordination of the campaign.

The Belarusian-American Association (BAZA) is an organization of Belarusian in the USA that has impact on the decisions taken by the American government in relation to Belarus.

Earlier, the European Parliament and the US Congress called to boycott the ice hockey championship.

Associations of the “new diaspora”, such as Free Belarus Now, have also called for boycott. Now, “old diaspora” organizations have also joined this initiative. The appeals have not found response in the Ice Hockey International Federation yet. However, there are no doubts the ice hockey championship will become a huge scandal if there are no changes in the outrageous human rights situation in Belarus.