BCD: Election out of question as long as political prisoners stay behind the bars

The organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party demand to release Belarusian political prisoners.

Such a statement was adopted at the session of the National council of the organisation on March 21. Charter97.org website was informed about that by the press-service of the organizing committee for creation of the BCD party.

“Belarusian Christian Democrats launch a campaign for release of political prisoners. We believe that one of the priority goals for the year 2015 is to insist on release of all Belarusian political prisoners,” the statement reads. “We state that without release and full reinstatement in their rights of all political prisoners, no elections in Belarus could be considered free and fair.”

In case political prisoners are to stay behind the bars, and not reinstated in their rights, the BCD finds impossible to recognize any election as free and fair, and the authority “elected” at it would be considered illegitimate by Christian Democrats.

“In order to contribute to a speedy release, in case it would be impossible to nominate a single candidate of the democratic forces in Belarus, we support the campaign for nomination of Mikalai Statkevich as a presidential candidate in Belarus. At the same time, we demand a release of political prisoners: Yauhen Vaskovich, Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Dzyadok, Artsyom Prakapenka and Yury Rubtsou. All political prisoners must be released!” the BCD representatives stress.

At the session of the National Council of the organizing committee it was decided that the founding congress of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party is to take place on June 13, 2015. During the congress it is planned to elect the leadership of the party, approve its updated platform and pass a decision on activities of the BCD during the campaign of 2015.