Lithuania should reset priorities from business to human rights

What should Belarus expect from Lithuania’s presidency in the European Union?

The conference “What Can Belarus Expect from Lithuania's Presidency of the Council of the European Union?” dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic was held March 26 in the Lithuanian Seim.

The conference was organized by Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs of the Lithuanian Seim Emanuelis Zingeris and director of the Fund of protection of citizens Stasis Kaushinis. First leader of independent Belarus, chairperson of the Belarusian Social Democratic Gramada Stanislau Shushkievich and editor-in-chief of charter97.org Natallia Radzina welcomed the participants.

A range of politicians took part in the conference: former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius; Lithuanian Vice Foreign Minister Andrius Krivas; deputies from the Lithuanian Seim; representatives of foreign embassies; human rights activists and journalists from Lithuania and Belarus; relatives of Belarusian political prisoners – Mikalai Statkievich’s wife Maryna Adamovich and Eduard Lobau’s mother Maryna Lobava.

In his opening speech, Emanuelis Zingeris emphasized that ”Long Live Belarus! Is the motto of today’s conference in the Seim of Lithuania”.

“The attempt to declare independence of the Belarusian People’s Republic was sunk in the blood of the Bolshevik spear. 95 years later we face the same problems. Today, this country is an open-air museum of Felix Dzerzhinsky. Relatives of Belarusian political prisoners urged us to bar Belarusian officials from coming to European summits in Vilnius until all prisoners of consciousness are released. We should remember what happened in Belarus on December 19, 2010, when nearly all independent presidential candidates and activists from their headquarters’ were arrested. Violations of human rights in Belarus are simply atrocious. Lithuania should reset its priorities from transport and energy to human rights. The Belarusian people want to be an inseparable part of Europe. The Belarusians are a European nation, and they can even become Europe’s leading nation,” Zingeris pointed out.

Stanislau Shushkievich gave his reply to the question of the conference’s topic.

“What can Belarus expect from Lithuania’s presidency in the European Union? I would like to see Lithuania take a very simple step and say what great masters say to their very gifted disciples: “Do it our way.” Lithuanians have already got burnt on their mistakes, and these were no accidental mistakes. Lithuania knows all the hardships and comprehends what is going on in Belarus. And if Lithuania could show an example of how Belarus should be treated, it would be lovely. What do I fear? I hear all the time about some plans, about future agreements with Belarus, about the near release of political prisoners, about some movement. I know no facts of any movement from the Belarusian part. Give me at least one!

In 1996, Lukashenka signed the OSCE’s Istanbul declaration that contains 4 principles that the European Union then broke into 12 principles. But later on there came the talks: we demand so much, it’s time to stop, let’s try to negotiate with Lukashenka. Commissioners Javier Solana, Benita Ferrero-Waldner came and said that there are no terms to fulfill. One cannot imagine a worse disgrace of the Belarusian opposition. We’d been saying all the time that Europe is an example of honesty and justice. Where is this justice? So now Lithuania should show the European Union how to act.”

Giving the floor to editor-in-chief of charter97.org Natallia Radzina, Emanuelis Zingeris reminded that the journalist had been arrested and placed in the KGB jail. According to the deputy, today’s Belarus is a “mixture of Stalin and Brezhnev regimes where journalists are tortured in the KGB for the mere fact of being acquainted with foreign politicians.”

Natallia Radzina urged Lithuanians to recall their fight for freedom from more than 20 years ago.

“Since this conference is dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic, I am asking myself a question: why couldn’t that state survive? There were many reasons, and one of them was the lack of international solidarity. This is the problem that modern Belarus is facing. Our country is rightfully called Europe’s last dictatorship. We also lack international solidarity. I call upon the people of Lithuania to recall those times when they were fighting for freedom and independence. For more than 20 years ago the entire world was on your side. In a difficult critical moment of your fight, in January 1991 even deputies from the Belarusian Superior Council, Stanislau Shushkievich among them, came to you. This wave of solidarity that the people of Lithuania experienced back then saved your country and made free and democratic Lithuania a reality. That is why today I really want you to look at us, Belarusians, the way you looked at yourselves back then.

A year ago, when I came to Lithuania after my escape from Belarus, I was speaking in the Lithuanian Seim. Human rights activist Ales Bialiatski had just been arrested. I said that Lithuania had been the country that broke Lukashenka’s international isolation and resumed attempts of a “dialog” with him, which became one of the reasons why the Lithuanian powers disclosed the bank accounts of Belarus’ leading human rights advocate. Today the same thing is repeated. Belarusian officials are trying to break the international isolation and get to the summit of the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius. Don’t repeat your mistakes. Be decisive. This is a dictatorship, and it should be spoken to only in the language of force, the only language that the dictator understands. I’m asking to show solidarity with the people of Belarus and to isolate Lukashenka and his officials until the political prisoners are released and the country gets free elections. Don’t forget how you were for more than 20 years ago, and show team spirit.”

Former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius stressed that the situation with human rights in Belarus “is so bad that there is nothing to discuss” and asked for a feedback on how one can help Belarusians. “We should see Belarus as a part of the common European space. As for now, Russia is leading in the political battle for this region against the West,” Kubilius pointed out. He believes that an association agreement between Ukraine and the EU that can be signed during the Eastern Partnership summit can boost changes in the situation in Belarus. To prove his point, Kubilius cited American political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski who said that geopolitically Ukraine is a strategic spot connecting Russia and Europe.

Furthermore, chairperson of the human rights center Viasna Valiantsin Stsiefanovich and political scientist Yury Chavusau delivered their speeches.

Chavusau focused on the recent initiative of the European Union, the Dialog for Modernization of Belarus.

”The Belarusian powers would love to see fewer representatives of the civil society and opposition, and more people from their camp taking part in this initiative. Minsk hears the expression “dialog for modernization” as “dialog for investments”. The Belarusian part is not interested in any accumulation of reform projects and different angles on how political, educational and humanitarian scopes of the Belarusian system can be modernized. The focus of the Belarusian part lies on the economy, specific enterprises, their technological modernization, all of which is, of course, very costly. And at the same time the powers want that the political factors are taken into account, that the EU stops raising the issue of the political prisoners and political reforms,” the political scientist said.

Valiantsin Stsiefanovich was speaking about the situation with human rights:

“After December 19, 2010, Belarus has seen another regress in the situation with human rights. The regress resulted in a more repressive legislation and unprecedented wave of politically motivated criminal persecution. The country still suffers the outcome of the events of December 19.

Today we demand to release and rehabilitate the political prisoners. It is very important that their conviction terms are abolished, because the powers can easily control and limit the rights of a released prisoner whose prison term still lasts. For example, the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov released in 2012 will remain convicted during the nearest 10 years, and hence he cannot take part in elections. So the rehabilitation issue is crucial.

And last information about the political prisoners. Pressure on them has never been so hard, because the powers understand that there will be no relationship with the EU until they are released. On the one hand, the powers do realize that, on the other, they don’t want to release the prisoners without their pardon appeals. Since December 19 different new methods of pressure have been used on the political prisoners; the powers even use such low methods as provocation, prolongation of conviction terms. All this reminds of the best Soviet traditions, Stalin’s methods of pressure,” Valiantsin Stsiefanovich said.

Maryna Adamovich, wife of the political prisoner Mikalai Statkievich, named all the political prisoners of Belarus and urged the European Union to take a rigid and consolidated position regarding Lukashenka’s regime.

Vytis Jurkonis from Freedom House emphasized that today the EU needs strategic patience regarding Belarus; but being strategically patient is not the same as to be passive and make a mere appearance of work. He said that today the European Union should become a stronger player and set hard demands to release and fully rehabilitate the political prisoners and help people who continue their fight for freedom in Belarus.

Deputy of the Lithuanian Seim Egidijus Vareikis said he is ashamed to admit that in the present Lithuanian Parliament there is no group on contact with democratic Belarus, and promised to raise that issue in the Parliament in the near future.

Former deputy of Seim Saulius Pečeliūnas who was one of those who signed the Act of Independence of Lithuania emphasized that Lithuania’s presidency in the EU is a great responsibility.

“And we should not be neutral. At war, the neutral ones get killed first, shot from both sides. We should fight responsibly, should not be afraid to lose a carriage with potassium fertilizers in Klaipeda’s harbor. Pope of Rome John Paul II used to say: “Don’t be afraid!” In the end, the one who has no fear wins,” Saulius Pečeliūnas said.

Coordinator of the civil campaign Paval Marynich warned the audience:

“Belarus cannot appear on the 3rd or 4th place. Just like fascism, lukashism is spreading all over Europe. Russia and Ukraine have the same problems with democracy, a consequence of the concessive politics of the West regarding Belarus’ regime. I would like to ask Mister Kubilus, who was speaking about the importance of Ukraine for democratization of the post-soviet region, to reflect on how important Belarus is for the region’s security.”

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas spoke in the end of the conference:

“Belarus is close to us not only historically, but spiritually and emotionally. Six fully developed countries are united in the Eastern Partnership. But Belarus still doesn’t completely fit the general context, and not only because Belarus is a member of another integration space with Russia. The main thing here is the values that the Belarusian powers refuse to accept. We hope that Belarus will be able to get back to the family of free European nations. But today the ball is on the Belarusian powers’ side of the field. They know what to do. The first step is the release and rehabilitation of the political prisoners,” the Deputy Minister said.