"Lukashenko Is Moaning About Sanctions."

Why did the regime start releasing political prisoners?

About this the site Charter97.org asked the leader of the civil campaign "European Belarus" Andrei Sannikov.

- All this talk that sanctions are "harmful", that sanctions "don't work"... is nonsense and quite cowardly. It was only the sanctions that made it happen. Because if there had been no sanctions, Lukashenko would never have even talked about the release of political prisoners. He is a hardened serial criminal, a tyrant who destroys people in the direct, physical sense. Why would he just spare them?

He moans about sanctions - primarily European ones. He hopes to lift them with the help of the Americans, who have agreed to release a very small group of political prisoners. He hopes to use them to lift the European sanctions, which are more painful for Lukashenko's regime.

Look at what Lukashenko is doing: he is again dragging the West into bargaining. I have calculated: they released a little more than 60 people in two months. This means that if the release of the number that Trump mentioned (and let's focus on the figure of 1400 political prisoners, which did come out of the mouth of the President of the United States) proceeds at such a pace, it will take all three years - until the end of Trump's term. That absolutely cannot be allowed to happen.

And we know there are many more prisoners than 1,400. About 10,000 by the most conservative estimate. And the figures that even official sources give out allow us to judge about the catastrophic humanitarian situation.

First of all, Lukashenko bargains: he determines whom and when to release. Secondly, at the same time he puts people in jail. That is, by releasing them, he puts them in jail. Today he cynically, mockingly threw Igor Ilyash, husband of Ekaterina Andreeva, behind bars for four years. Everyone expected that in the last group of hostages released from the concentration camp will be and Katya, a beautiful, sincere journalist and person, but the inhibited tyrant compensates for his inferiority with such bullying. Not only Katya was not released, but also her husband Igor was imprisoned. He wants to sell this practice again: "I will recruit new hostages for trade, and you won't do anything to me". This should not be allowed.

We see that this is not liberation, but forced deportation. We see that the agreements on the leader of the Belarusian opposition Nikolai Statkevich, a patriot, a national hero, have not been fulfilled. He was simply mockingly returned to prison. A man who wants to live in his homeland, in his home. These things should not go unnoticed by the West. There should be very tough actions, and they are not there yet. Human rights activists have also reacted too sluggishly.

What should be done to get everyone released? Tough measures, tough sanctions. There are no other ways. All the levers are there. Now what we talked about in connection with the visit of Wang Yi, even China can be used as a pressure factor to force Lukashenko to release all political prisoners. Really release, not forcibly deport.

People themselves should decide their own fate and determine the degree of risk. They should be absolutely free in their choice. Let's not forget that political prisoners are not criminals. They are completely innocent people who are being held as hostages and are now trying to be exchanged. This is the tragedy of a concentration camp in the center of Europe. It is comparable to what is happening in the most despotic regimes in Africa or in China.

It is simply impossible to tolerate such a situation in the center of Europe any longer, because it aggravates the situation with the war in Ukraine. A dictatorial regime that allows people to be abused is also an accomplice to Russian aggression.

I repeat once again: all the levers are there, we just need political will. Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize in Ukraine, but he will not be able to resolve this acute crisis in this way, especially with the methods he is trying to use between Russia and Ukraine. If all political prisoners - not 1,400, but absolutely all those thousands of political prisoners in Belarus - are released, then I will fervently advocate for President Trump to be awarded the prize.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com