A plea for solidarity with the people of Belarus
Belarusian Christian Democracy Party and Centre-Right Coalition in Belarus informs about the wave of repressions in Belarus against the organisers and participants of the protests against the Presidential Decree No. 3 “on preventing social dependency”.
The harsh repressions started after Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s speech 09 March 2017, where he stated: “A maidan will not happen in Belarus. There is no background for it. But it is important to keep a finger on the pulse. We should pick out provocateurs like raisins from a bun! They should be held strictly liable,” (http://belsat.eu/en/news/lukashenka-about-parasite-law-protesters-maidan-morons-cannon-fodder/).
On 10 March 2017 leaders of the Centre-Right Coalition – Vital Rymasheuski (BCD), Anatoly Liabedzka (UCP), Yury Hubarevich (“For Freedom” Movement) – as well as Volha Kavalkova (Christian Democratic Movement), were brutally arrested in Maladziechna after a peaceful protest march. On 11 March (Saturday) they were hastily convicted: Rymasheuski, Liabedzka, Hubarevich to fifteen days of arrest, Kavalkova to seven days of arrest. Eight local protesters arrested at the same day were sentenced to various terms of administrative arrest.
On 11 and 12 March the peaceful protests continued in Pinsk (Brest region), Vorsha (Vitsebsk region), Rahatchou (Homiel region) and Babruisk (Mahileu region).
Pavel Sieviarynets was arrested today in Vorsha, where he supported the protesters against the unconstitutional decree. Independent journalists are being detained in the cities of the protest.
Belarusian Christian Democracy Party and Centre-Right Coalition in Belarus call on all democratic governments, political parties, human rights organisations, mass media to stand together with the people of Belarus in their struggle for rights of freedom of speech and assembly!
We thank the European People’s Party and personally President Joseph Daul for taking immediate steps of solidarity with us https://twitter.com/josephdaul/status/840528581382017025?refsrc=email&s=11.
We thank Libereco human righst organisation for organising the email campaign http://www.lphr.org/en/email-campaign-release-all-detained-protesters-in-belarus/.
Please, find attached a sample appeal, which can be sent to the Belarusian governmental organisations: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
On 15 March 2017, the day of Belarusian Constitution, a protest march will take place in Minsk; this march after multiple efforts was finally sanctioned by the Minsk City Council. On 25 March 2017, the unofficial Freedom Day (Day of Proclamation of the Belarusian People’s Republic in 1918) a traditional march is planned in Minsk. This one does not yet have the legal status, although the application was filed in January 2017.
English language versions of the Belarusian independent media and human rights organisations:
http://belsat.eu/en/
http://www.rferl.org/z/658
http://euroradio.fm/en/cats/politics
http://spring96.org/en
http://belhelcom.org/en/topic/62
