BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

05/04/2008

Dictatorship in Belarus - Hot Spring 2008

Michael Batiukov

On April 4th, 2008 the United States Ambassador to the OSCE Julie Finley has reported to representatives of member countries of that organization about the US position relating recent events in Belarus.

In a special statement addressed to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna recent events in Belarus are recalled, including a brutal crackdown on participants of a peaceful rally on March 25, 2008 and a mass attack on independent journalists on March 27.

"We call upon Belarusian authorities," the statement reads, "to fulfill their commitments to the OSCE concerning human rights and basic freedoms, and to release Aleksandr Kazulin immediately, as well as peaceful demonstrators and journalists who were detained and imprisoned".

Nevertheless on April 16 (Wednesday) at 10 a.m. proceedings in the political "case of the 14" will start in the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk (Kirau Street, 21). M. Pashkevich, A. Bondar, A. Barazenka, P. Vinagradau, U. Syarheeu, A. Dubski, A. Straltsou, A. Charnyshou, A. Kim, A. Kojpisj, M. Kryvau, M. Subach, T. Tsishkevich, M. Dashuk are charged in the case of a protest rally of entrepreneurs which tool place on January 10, 2008 in Minsk.

As always young people are charged with violation of Article 342-1 of the Criminal Code: "Staging and preparation of actions grossly violating public order, or active participation in them". They could face up to 3 years of imprisonment under this article.

Is Belarus becoming a new European Zimbabwe? Sure, it does. Dictatorships are all the same on any planet and any dictator is never the people's servant but their Ruler. Any dictator is not living in a vacuum, he is always surrounded by his close "friends" (or gang members, if you wish). Any dictatorship has a typical mafia structure and is based on fear of getting rejected (or killed) by other members. Any dictator is a dead-walking man. As soon as he's loosing his power he is loosing everything, very often including his life. There are no exceptions to that rule.

That's why any dictator is constantly hypocritical to his people. He just must lie in order to survive any longer. He just must throw to jail anyone who is telling him the truth that he is a pathological Liar. Any dictatorship is based on lies. Lies are everywhere - on TV, in the newspapers, on the radio, in the government, in economics, in politics, in the movies, in books, in schools, universities and kindergartens, in supermarkets and grocery-stores. And people must live inside those lies. They must believe that they can also survive with a $250 salary a month and dreaming about buying $150000 two-bedroom apartment. What people do not understand is that they can not survive without changing the system, without legitimately throwing away the illegitimate dictator and his gang. If nobody in the Belarusian government was elected by the people of Belarus why they do not have all the human rights to reelect a new parliament and a new real President?

Yes, they do have all the rights to do just that or Belarus will become a new European Zimbabwe with a record 85% unemployment rate (now in Belarus this rate is about 15%, and for sure, this is not an official but true number), 8000% inflation and where so called president is holding the power for 28 years (it's only 14 years for Belarus).

Yes, they do have all the rights to replace the illegitimate government before it led Belarus to economic collapse being criticized around the world for corruption, suppression of political opposition, economic mismanagement, and deterioration of human rights.

As always, there is an easy way out for the Belarusian authorities. Instead of fearing in expectation, if the European Union will join the U.S. sanctions, and making war with America, they need to release political prisoners, stop persecuting of the dissenters in the country, and hold free elections. But Lukashenko seems not to like this way out because it is a dead end for him and his gang. Just a reminder: Belarus expelled the United States Ambassador and recalled its own envoy to Washington on in retaliation for U.S. economic sanctions which blacklisted Belneftekhim (supposedly the main source for Lukashenko's personal income), freezing the accounts of its U.S. representative office.

The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, has urged the Belarusian government to immediately release the people arrested during a police crackdown on a demonstration staged in Minsk on March 25 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Belarusian National Republic.

"The use of violence by the Belarusian authorities against peaceful demonstrators and the harassment of independent journalists are in contradiction to the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression and is not compatible with democratic fundamental rights," Mr. Poettering says in a statement issued on March 27, 2008.

"I strongly condemn the politically motivated detentions and the intervention against Belarusian citizens who are peacefully demonstrating their commitment to the values of freedom, democracy and human rights," Mr. Poettering says. "The European Parliament expresses its solidarity with all those who defend freedom and democracy."

Source:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/57671

Google