BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Wednesday, 01 June 2005

Europe's last dictator again

Written by David Ferguson in Brussels

"The court chose to prosecute the defendants under the criminal code, whereas the charge may be considered as an administrative offence," OSCE's Ambassador to Belarus Eberhard Heyken said. He expressed concern at the criminal sentences given yesterday by the Minsk District Court to two prominent Belarus opposition figures. "I monitored the demonstration myself and can confirm that the demonstration was neither violent nor threatening. A three-year sentence handed down for the expression of personal political opinions is disproportionate and cannot be justified," Heyken continued.

The Minsk Central district court sentenced Nikolai Statkevich, a leader of the Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya Gromada) and Pavel Severinets, leader of the non-registered youth organization 'Youth Front', to three years imprisonment. The sentence was reduced to two years because of the amnesty on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Victory in World War Two.

"Aleksander Lukashenko is afraid of Europe. European flags are torn from people's hands when they demonstrate in Belarus, but people are no longer afraid," commented Pavel Marinich, son of Belarus opposition leader and political prisoner Mikhail Marinich. Speaking recently to the Council of Europe's sub-committee on Belarus, Pavel Marinich was pleased that Europe 'calls a spade a spade' and defines the Belarus regime as a dictatorship. Since election in 1994, Belarus President Lukashenko has faced accusations of authoritarianism and involvement in mysterious opposition deaths - the latest being that of Solidarnost journalist Veronika Cherkasova, stabbed in her Minsk apartment in October 2004.

Statkevich and Severinets were charged under Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus with "organization of group activities which violate public order or active participation therein". Their trial started on 23 May 2005. The prosecutor stated that the defendants "on 18 -19 November 2004, by prior agreement, organized and took part in group activities which violated public order".

The prosecutor also noted that the demonstrators had not obeyed police orders to disperse and that the march had prevented the normal functioning of public transport. The verdict can be appealed to a higher court within 10 days.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice does not hide her criticism of what she calls 'Europe's last dictatorship'. Rice, together with Javier Solana, European Union Foreign Policy chief, recently met opposition leaders from the isolated country. "We talked about several ways that we could support efforts in Belarus. The point was made very clearly that the 2006 elections really do present an excellent opportunity for the international community to focus on the need for free and fair elections in Belarus," said Rice.

Belarus' president has amassed powers with respect to law and order. "As the Head of State under the law and the Constitution, I am capable of controlling the power agencies, including the KGB, myself. It will always be so," said Lukashenko speaking recently at a visit to Minsk Automobile Plant. "I have not placed the KGB under the control of a certain, as they would nicely denominate it in some countries - civil society. The oversight of the civil society means collapse of power and law enforcing structures," said Lukashenko.

Source:

http://euro-reporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=1