BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

May 18, 2005

Support anti-fascist refugee Viktor Kononovich!

Submitted by mick on Wed, 08/11/2004 - 21:26. Anti-Fascism | Antifascisme | Immigration | Toronto | English

SUPPORT ANTI-FASCIST REFUGEE VIKTOR KONONOVICH!!

Viktor Kononovich is facing deportation to is native Belarus. Since coming to Canada, he has et and married his wife, Pauline, a Canadian itizen. They now have a young son, Alexander. Viktor is the family's sole breadwinner. It is crucial that his permanent resident application on humanitarian grounds processing be sped up, to prevent him from being sent back to a place where he will likely face imprisonment, physical attacks or even death.

Viktor came to Canada over two years ago to apply for refugee status. He had been involved in organizing anti-fascist and anti-nuclear protests in Belarus, as well as monitoring the activities of a right-wing pro-government paramilitary group known as the Russian National Union. This work put him in direct conflict with the authoritarian government of Alexander Lukashenko. Before leaving the country, Viktor faced harassment and physical attacks from both the police and the Russian National Union.

On one occasion, after a peaceful demonstration, police, who suffocated him to the point that he lost consciousness, took him into custody. On other occasions he was beaten by police, and faced threatening phone calls and surveillance. The door of his apartment was set on fire, and funeral wreaths were delivered to his home with the names of his family members on them. Police laughed when he complained.

Other Belarusian dissidents have, in past, disappeared without a trace. The police have shown reluctance to seriously investigate their cases. Over the past year, physical attacks on dissidents have continued unabated and President Lukashenko has banned a number of human rights and legal aid organizations that had previously provided help for opponents of the government. Crackdowns on opposition parties, labour unions, anti-Russian nationalists, minority religious groups(particularly Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses), intellectuals, journalists, democratic institutions, non- governmental organizations and opponents of the government have intensified. The fact that war memorials are often vandalized with pro-fascist slogans underlines the similarities between Nazi Germany and today's Belarus. There seems little hope for immediate change. Since 1995, all elections in Belarus have been condemned as unfair by the Organization for Security and Cooperation In Europe (OSCE).

Viktor was rejected for his refugee application largely because he could not produce a membership card for the Belarusian Popular Front, an opposition party to which he belonged. However, given the danger associated with carrying a Belarusian Popular Front card, it is not surprising that the party rarely issued any.

Both on the grounds of his family obligations in Canada and the intense danger that he faces in Belarus, it is important that the Minister of Immigration intervene to speed up Viktor's permanent resident application on humanitarian grounds and prevent his deportation.

Please take a moment to sign the petition or a sample letter, and send them to:

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
10 Britain Street
Toronto, ON
M5A 1R6

Fax: 416 925-9681
ocap@tao.ca

For more information contact 416-999-6885

SAMPLE LETTER

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Judy Sgro
Rm 239, Confederation Bldg
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Ms Sgro,

RE: KONONONVICH, Viktor
Client File No.: 4203 5170

I am writing to ask you to use your discretion under section 25 of the Immigration Refugee Protection Act to speed the processing of Viktor Kononovich's permanent resident application, and visa waiver on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

This application is made with a sponsorship from his wife, Pauline Kononovich, who is a Canadian citizen. They have a Canadian born child together, Alexander, whose interests are very important to consider. As well, Viktor is the main breadwinner in the family, and they will be destitute without him.

Viktor came to Canada over two years ago to apply for refugee status. He had been involved in organizing anti-fascist and anti-nuclear protests in Belarus, as well as monitoring the activities of a right-wing pro-government paramilitary group known as the Russian National Union. This work put him in direct conflict with the authoritarian government of Alexander Lukashenko. Before leaving the country, Viktor faced harassment and physical attacks from both the police and the Russian National Union. On one occasion, after a peaceful demonstration, police, who suffocated him to the point that he lost consciousness, took him into custody. On other occasions he was beaten by police, and faced threatening phone calls and surveillance. The door of his apartment was set on fire, and funeral wreaths were delivered to his home with the names of his family members on them. Police laughed when he complained.

If he is removed to Belarus he will face serious danger, and his family will separated from their father and main breadwinner. Please use your discretion and speed up the processing so that Viktor may be safe and his family together.

Yours truly,

Your name
Your address

PETITION

TO THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION

We the undersigned ask you to use your discretion under section 25 of the Immigration Refugee Protection Act to speed the processing of Viktor Kononovich's permanent resident application, and visa waiver on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

Name Address Signature

Source:

http://nefac.net/node/1166


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