Политобоз
Такие письма приходят нынче по внутренней рассылке ГУ-ВШЭ.
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Dear friends, colleagues, it is important to spread the information about the recent events in the center of Europe to the whole civilized world.
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The Stalin era has come back to Belarus
By Kanstantsin ‘Kastus’ Lashkevich, journalist, member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists
The Stalin era of 30-s has come back to Belarus. It is said “Stalinism is impossible at the XXI century right in the center of Europe”. Belarus authority proved the opposite.
First of all, the elections were massively falsified. About a quarter of the population (students, military, state officials) were forced to come to early voting. Election commissions, which were mainly composed of people loyal to regime, did not pay attention on the remarks made by independent observers, many of whom were thrown away from the process of vote counting. This position was supported by Alyaksandr Lukashenka who ordered policemen to obey the chiefs of Election commissions. Those people are usually nominated from the heads of various public institutions.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission assessed the vote counting as “very bad” at the at the half of the polling stations that had being observed. According to OSCE, the election at which Lukashenka won with a total of almost 80 percent were not conducted in line with democratic standards. No one of 9 alternative presidential candidates according to official results has 2% of votes. Permission to conduct exit-polls was received only by state pro-government organization.
On 19 of December (our Bloody Sunday), after the close of polling station, the massive demonstration was organized by opposition in which took part about 30 000 people.
To speak the truth, the opposition leaders did not have the exact plans of protests. Besides, one could see complete incoordination of actions among democratic leaders. This fact was taken into account by police forces. Among the protesters there were many provocateurs and people in civilian clothing, who started the storm of the Government headquarter at the Ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi (Square of Independence). Experts pointed that these actions were planned by KGB beforehand in order to claim the opposition in extremism and violent seize of power. Unfortunately, presidential leaders and their teams failed to isolate provocateurs and coordinate their actions.
As a result, the detailed operation organized by special forces ended with violent crackdown of demonstration.
Thousands of riot police (with the help of military forces) armed with shields, batons, noise checkers beat everyone who was on their way - children, elderly people, women and men who participated in demonstration and those who were just passing by the Square of Independence. The representatives of diplomatic missions, Belarusian and foreign journalist were also under the attack of riot police.
I conducted live coverage of the protests the whole evening. Together with my colleague I was detained by the special police forces after the end of crackdown of demonstration.
They threw us to the buses for transportation of criminals where I was put down on the floor and beaten. When I lifted a head I received a hit. Being a journalist I was not beaten so heavily in comparison to a regular citizen who tried to argue back.
The riot policemen in masks threatened us, promised to take to Kurapaty (the place were during the Stalin era about 100 thousands of people were shot down). After that the bus stopped at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we were put into the car of police, like criminals in cells.
I had an opinion that probably almost half of the 40 detainees who were with me in at the police station were passing pedestrians and did not participate in demonstrations.
I was lucky and released in 5 hours. However, about 10 of my colleagues-journalists were taken into custody for 10-15 days. Overall, about 640 people were detained, the majority of whom were condemned to the same kind of imprisonment.
Seven presidential candidates, their colleagues and friends were also arrested (that has never happened before in any other civilized country). Five candidates (Nyaklyayew, Rymashewsky, Sannikaw, Statkevich, Kastusew) were injured. Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, shortly after arriving at hospital with serious head wounds, was taken by force of several men in civilian clothing in unknown direction. No one knew about his place of being till the moment Lukashenka publicly announced about it. Right now, Nyaklyaeyew together with other presidential candidates are held at the KGB prison.
Some of the opposition leaders were later released after making public accusations of their colleagues of disorder at the central square. Seems that it is made under physical and psychological pressure of KGB. So called “the institute of the hostage” is operating at the country. Relatives or friends of the activists are arrested or hidden and after formulation of ultimatum: “Whether you declare the prescribed text or you will have troubles with your relatives” could be released.
Arrests of opposition, human rights and NGO’s activists are being continued. At their offices, appartments special forces broke down the doors, confiscate PC, equipment and take them in unknown direction.
Now, at least 17 people, including six presidential rivals of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, have been given suspect status in a mass riot case that the Minsk police instituted over Sunday’s post-election demonstration. It means, that according to Belarusian Criminal Code’s Article 293 they can be sentenced can be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Governmental TV channels (Belarus does not have independent ones) showed staged episodes that opposition took knifes, metal equipments with them to the demonstrations. After crackdown of demonstration at the square were brought prepared bottles of alcohol that were lately filmed. In order to show later: “Look, there were alcoholics and drug addicts there”. The same pictures were taken 5 years ago during the last presidential campaign - 2006 after the brutal police crackdown on a tent camp of opposition.
Everything is done in front of the world society, foreign journalists, diplomats, observers.
“I m not afraid of your European organizations” - stated Lukashenka during the interview made by channel “Euronews”.
But he is afraid. That’s why democratic Belarus needs free world’s support.
After the events 19th of December that turned to be a Bloody Sunday for Belarus, many of European and USA officials condemned the cruel crackdown of the peaceful demonstration and massive arrests of people.
“We`re supporting you! Stay strong!” I received these words from my friends and colleagues from Sweden and USA, Hungary and Ukraine, Norway, Ireland, Germany etc…
Modern-day Belarus is a country ruled by “last dictator” in Europe for the 16 years. Average Belarusians are afraid of everything and prefer to stay aside from what is happening. They make believe it is not their business. All these look like what we had some 80 years ago in the Soviet Union where Stalin and KGB repressed more than one million of Belarusians.
I don’t want to believe that the Stalin era of 1930-s has come back to Belarus at the beginning of the XXI century. That’s why we need you support! Tell about it your friends and ask them to tell theirs. Spread the information about Belarus through the Internet and other channels of communications. Thank you all, people of the world!
***
Dear friends, colleagues, it is important to spread the information about the recent events in the center of Europe to the whole civilized world.
---
The Stalin era has come back to Belarus
By Kanstantsin ‘Kastus’ Lashkevich, journalist, member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists
The Stalin era of 30-s has come back to Belarus. It is said “Stalinism is impossible at the XXI century right in the center of Europe”. Belarus authority proved the opposite.
First of all, the elections were massively falsified. About a quarter of the population (students, military, state officials) were forced to come to early voting. Election commissions, which were mainly composed of people loyal to regime, did not pay attention on the remarks made by independent observers, many of whom were thrown away from the process of vote counting. This position was supported by Alyaksandr Lukashenka who ordered policemen to obey the chiefs of Election commissions. Those people are usually nominated from the heads of various public institutions.
The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission assessed the vote counting as “very bad” at the at the half of the polling stations that had being observed. According to OSCE, the election at which Lukashenka won with a total of almost 80 percent were not conducted in line with democratic standards. No one of 9 alternative presidential candidates according to official results has 2% of votes. Permission to conduct exit-polls was received only by state pro-government organization.
On 19 of December (our Bloody Sunday), after the close of polling station, the massive demonstration was organized by opposition in which took part about 30 000 people.
To speak the truth, the opposition leaders did not have the exact plans of protests. Besides, one could see complete incoordination of actions among democratic leaders. This fact was taken into account by police forces. Among the protesters there were many provocateurs and people in civilian clothing, who started the storm of the Government headquarter at the Ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi (Square of Independence). Experts pointed that these actions were planned by KGB beforehand in order to claim the opposition in extremism and violent seize of power. Unfortunately, presidential leaders and their teams failed to isolate provocateurs and coordinate their actions.
As a result, the detailed operation organized by special forces ended with violent crackdown of demonstration.
Thousands of riot police (with the help of military forces) armed with shields, batons, noise checkers beat everyone who was on their way - children, elderly people, women and men who participated in demonstration and those who were just passing by the Square of Independence. The representatives of diplomatic missions, Belarusian and foreign journalist were also under the attack of riot police.
I conducted live coverage of the protests the whole evening. Together with my colleague I was detained by the special police forces after the end of crackdown of demonstration.
They threw us to the buses for transportation of criminals where I was put down on the floor and beaten. When I lifted a head I received a hit. Being a journalist I was not beaten so heavily in comparison to a regular citizen who tried to argue back.
The riot policemen in masks threatened us, promised to take to Kurapaty (the place were during the Stalin era about 100 thousands of people were shot down). After that the bus stopped at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we were put into the car of police, like criminals in cells.
I had an opinion that probably almost half of the 40 detainees who were with me in at the police station were passing pedestrians and did not participate in demonstrations.
I was lucky and released in 5 hours. However, about 10 of my colleagues-journalists were taken into custody for 10-15 days. Overall, about 640 people were detained, the majority of whom were condemned to the same kind of imprisonment.
Seven presidential candidates, their colleagues and friends were also arrested (that has never happened before in any other civilized country). Five candidates (Nyaklyayew, Rymashewsky, Sannikaw, Statkevich, Kastusew) were injured. Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, shortly after arriving at hospital with serious head wounds, was taken by force of several men in civilian clothing in unknown direction. No one knew about his place of being till the moment Lukashenka publicly announced about it. Right now, Nyaklyaeyew together with other presidential candidates are held at the KGB prison.
Some of the opposition leaders were later released after making public accusations of their colleagues of disorder at the central square. Seems that it is made under physical and psychological pressure of KGB. So called “the institute of the hostage” is operating at the country. Relatives or friends of the activists are arrested or hidden and after formulation of ultimatum: “Whether you declare the prescribed text or you will have troubles with your relatives” could be released.
Arrests of opposition, human rights and NGO’s activists are being continued. At their offices, appartments special forces broke down the doors, confiscate PC, equipment and take them in unknown direction.
Now, at least 17 people, including six presidential rivals of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, have been given suspect status in a mass riot case that the Minsk police instituted over Sunday’s post-election demonstration. It means, that according to Belarusian Criminal Code’s Article 293 they can be sentenced can be sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Governmental TV channels (Belarus does not have independent ones) showed staged episodes that opposition took knifes, metal equipments with them to the demonstrations. After crackdown of demonstration at the square were brought prepared bottles of alcohol that were lately filmed. In order to show later: “Look, there were alcoholics and drug addicts there”. The same pictures were taken 5 years ago during the last presidential campaign - 2006 after the brutal police crackdown on a tent camp of opposition.
Everything is done in front of the world society, foreign journalists, diplomats, observers.
“I m not afraid of your European organizations” - stated Lukashenka during the interview made by channel “Euronews”.
But he is afraid. That’s why democratic Belarus needs free world’s support.
After the events 19th of December that turned to be a Bloody Sunday for Belarus, many of European and USA officials condemned the cruel crackdown of the peaceful demonstration and massive arrests of people.
“We`re supporting you! Stay strong!” I received these words from my friends and colleagues from Sweden and USA, Hungary and Ukraine, Norway, Ireland, Germany etc…
Modern-day Belarus is a country ruled by “last dictator” in Europe for the 16 years. Average Belarusians are afraid of everything and prefer to stay aside from what is happening. They make believe it is not their business. All these look like what we had some 80 years ago in the Soviet Union where Stalin and KGB repressed more than one million of Belarusians.
I don’t want to believe that the Stalin era of 1930-s has come back to Belarus at the beginning of the XXI century. That’s why we need you support! Tell about it your friends and ask them to tell theirs. Spread the information about Belarus through the Internet and other channels of communications. Thank you all, people of the world!