‘Narodnaya Hramada’: Lukashenka Regime Must Be Stopped Right Now

The situation with political prisoners in Belarus is critical.

The spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is taking place in Strasbourg. Representatives of the Belarusian opposition were invited to take part in the hearings on Belarus organized by the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.

Yauhen Vilsky, Deputy Chairman of the Narodnaya Hramada Party, gave the Charter97.org website the text of his speech at the event.

“The repressions also affected the members of our party. Chairman of Narodnaya Hramada Mikalai Statkevich, general secretary Siarhei Sparysh, and many others are currently behind bars.

Many were forced to leave the country. All information resources of the party are recognized as “extremist”, for subscribing to our website and social networks, even for likes and comments, people in Belarus are threatened with criminal prosecution.

The party leader Mikalai Statkevich was arrested two months before the elections, on May 31, 2020, and has been behind bars for almost three years since then.

For 2.5 months we have had no information about him at all. The lawyer was denied a meeting with Mikalaj under a far-fetched pretext. During this time, no news has been received from our leader. According to some reports, all this time he has been in the punishment cell.

A similar situation has developed since February-March with several more political prisoners — public politicians and protest leaders. It seems that this is a new tactic of the regime regarding its consistent opponents — Mikalai Statkevich, Pavel Seviarynets, Yauhen Afnahel, Maksim Znak, Viktar Babaryka, Ihar Losik.

The problem is exacerbated by unprecedented pressure on lawyers to deprive them of the opportunity to perform their professional duties. Over the past two years, about 750 lawyers out of 2,000 have not been certified, deprived of their licenses, arrested and convicted “for promoting extremist activities,” and also, under threats, “voluntarily” refused to practice law. Just last week, five more lawyers were deprived of their licenses. Those who remained under various pretexts refuse to conclude an agreement, fearing persecution by the authorities.

Pressure is exerted on relatives of political prisoners in order to force them to be silent and not to give information about their relatives. This is probably why the relatives of most politicians, who are now subjected to the same pressure as the leader of our party, are silent.

The absence of independent media in the country, the declaration of all those working from abroad as “extremist organizations”, the impossibility for those remaining in Belarus to give interviews under the threat of criminal prosecution, makes the situation with political prisoners critical.

People are afraid to speak, even when they are abroad, in safety. Obviously, this is due to increased pressure on their relatives who remain in Belarus, threats of trials in absentia, deprivation of citizenship and confiscation of property.

The lack of information and, accordingly, a reaction to the deteriorating situation with political prisoners makes it not only dramatic, but also critical, and gives the regime a free hand to further intensify repression. If they are not stopped now, tomorrow may be too late.

The denunciation of the optional protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights deprived the citizens of Belarus of the last international protection.

We are forced to turn to the international community, to the leaders of democratic countries with a request to use the influence and resources of the EU and democratic countries to demand an end to repressions and the immediate release of Belarusian political prisoners. The first step could be to release people whose lives are in danger (for humanitarian reasons: seriously ill, women, minors).

All heads of colonies and their deputies who put pressure on political prisoners, investigators and judges who pass monstrous and absurd sentences should be subject to personal sanctions.

It is unacceptable to trade people's lives. It is unacceptable to offer money or concessions to the regime for the release of individual political prisoners, or certain groups of them. Our experience shows that this will inevitably lead to the emergence of new prisoners and increased repression in Belarus.