Belarus solidarity alert before the Freedom Day 2019 – 25 March
On the evening of 22 March 2019 Mr. Rymasheuski’s brother, Siarhei Rymasheuski, received a phone call from the person who introduced himself as Dmitry Butsko, investigator of the Belarusian Investigative Committee. Mr. Butsko summoned Siarhei Rymasheuski to answer questions in connection to the interrogation on the murder of a women in Babruisk (Mahileu region) 20 years ago. Babruisk is the home of Mr. Rymasheuski.
BCD regards this fact as act of a direct political persecution and pressure on Vital Rymasheuski personally through his relatives and his family before the Freedom Day. This situation is similar to the post presidential election attack on the opposition in 2010-2011, when the authorities pressured relatives of Belarusian politicians, including then a year-old daughter of Vital Rymasheuski.
Belarusian Christian Democrats demand from the authorities to stop political persecution and pressure.
The sanctioned rally on Freedom Day 2018 was attended by average of 18,000 persons. However, there were still detentions of participants of unsactioned street actions.
In 2019 Lukashenka personnally turned down the application of the organisers of the Freedom Day to hold the celebration at Dinamo stadium in Minsk. Then the Center-right coalition and Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) announce the celebration on the Kiev Square on 24 March 2019. This is one of the six sites in Minsk, where there is a notification procedure for holding mass events.
Vital Rymasheuski is one of the organisers and active promoters of the concert and rally on 24 March.
BCD is asking its partners for instant solidarity actions. E.g. statements of support with hashtags #supportVitalRymasheuski, #BelarusFreedomDay2019, #25sakavika2019.
The support statements and appeals can be sent to Central Office of the Investigative Committee (+375 17 290-35-48 (fax), [email protected] (e-mail), to the Administration of the President (+375 17 226-06-10 (fax).
The Belarusian Christian Democracy also signals of a continuing provocations against defenders and the material parts (wooden crosses, “bench of Clinton”) of the Kurapaty memorial.
BCD also shares the concern of human rights defenders of the recent attack on the independent bloggers.
We are calling on the international community to follow closely the unfolding of the events in Belarus of the coming weekend and use all available channels to communicate to the Belarusian authorities that persecution of the citizens will never be accepted.
