Hennadz Fiadynich: Authorities Panic

Europe no longer believes the regime's words.

It's been decided that the new sanctions of the fourth package of the European Union will affect 78 officials of Lukashenka's regime and 7 organizations.

As one of the leaders of the REP trade union Hennadz Fiadynich said on the air of Radio Racyja, it's difficult to predict how strong the sanctions will be, but it is obvious that the European countries are now determined and consolidated, while the Belarusian authorities are panicking:

- There has never been such an approach to the problems associated with Belarus in recent history. The Europeans are democrats; they want fair, transparent presidential elections in Belarus. And let the people determine their own fate. Europe does not believe in words any more. There must be something concrete in the authorities' deeds and actions.

- It seems that at first, the authorities did not believe that the West would take sanctions so seriously. And now one can see that they are frightened, fidgeting, trying to play the card of exchanging political prisoners again so as to soften the sanctions.

- I will say that time has passed, and I think the political prisoners will be released one way or another. But they will no longer be a bargaining chip for sanctions. There are already problems with the budget now, in my opinion. And, of course, first of all it will affect people working in the public sector.