Zmitser Bandarenka: Dialogue with Lukashenka is like dialogue with Beria

The people, with whom the EU plans to have a dialogue, rigged election results and tortured their political opponents.

Zmitser Bandarenka, a coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign and former political prisoner, said it in an interview with Radio Racyja. The politician commented on Maira Mora's remark about the start of a dialogue with Lukashenka.

Zmitser Bandarenka thinks the statement was caused by the recent harsh criticism of the EU representative to Belarus. He thinks both Maira Mora and Lukashenka are interested in an imitation of a dialogue. “They are both interested in this. I think Mora has discredited herself in the last years. A new EU representative to Belarus must be appointed,” Zmitser Bandarenka said.

The former political prisoner does not believe in a dialogue between official Minsk and the European Union. “Interior minister Shunevich wore the NKVD uniform at the parade, and it wasn't for no reason. This person carried out interrogations and was in fact an organiser of torture and ill-treatment of members of alternative candidates' teams and presidential candidates. It is the core of the Belarusian regime today. It's the same as hoping that Beria could have had a dialogue on human rights with the West. That's the situation for today.

These people rigged election results, tortured their political opponents, which falls under a criminal article on the illegal seizure of power. They are suspected of being involved in the disappearance of their political opponents, but they haven't answered for it. Of course, we can now say that the dialogue will start, but I personally do not believe it, because the only place these people deserve is the Hague Tribunal.”

Swedish human rights defenders urged last week to recall Maira Mora from Belarus because she “violates the basic values and official policy of the EU”. At a talk show, Maira Mora praised Lukashenka for his ability to “deal with people”, but didn't voice the demands of the EU on the release of all political prisoners, though she was directly asked what hindered the cooperation between the EU and Belarus.