To make the right choice
- 26.09.2007, 16:48
The members of the organizational committee of the European March held a press conference on Victar Ivashkevich’s arrest, the Chairman of the organizational committee, co-chairman of the BNF Party. 20 minutes after the beginning of the press conference Victar Ivashkevich was discharged from the court-room. “The chairman of the organizational committee is free now due to the drastic reaction of journalists, human rights activists, oppositional leaders and diplomats”, - Andrey Sannikov, the international coordinator of Charter’97, the member of organizational committee negotiation group said.
The members of the organizational committee of the European March show their protest against V. Ivashkevich’s arrest and announced that repressions against the opposition are inadmissible taking into the consideration the statements of the official authorities about the readiness to improve the relations with the EU.
“Victar Ivashkevich spent his night in Pershamayski Internal Affairs Department. It’s vivid, that the authorities tried to discredit the politician. That’s why they were keeping vigilant watch over him. There is information that the riot militiamen knew that Ivashkevich was going to have a modest birthday party in the café. The politicians didn’t breach of public order, abuse alcoholic drinks in the café or in the street. The politician didn’t even leave the café, when they were caught. But usually militia patrol detains people, not the bus with the riot militiamen. By the way, according to Ivashkevich, the OMON soldiers behaved politely and explained their actions in such a way: “You should understand us. We have families, children, and must carry out the order”. In other words, it was a political order. We announce unambiguously: the authorities are moving in wrong direction. We have an absolutely clear black and white dilemma: or they implement 12 proposals of the EU and make concrete steps on establishing freedom and democracy in Belarus, or they lead the country to dead-end siding. The repressions against the opposition is a dead-end way”, - leader of the BNF Party Vintsuk Viachorka declared.
Andrey Sannikov, Charter’97 international coordinator, a member of organizational committee negotiation group reminds, that Victar Ivashkevich announced repeatedly that the Russian special services try to set up the dialog between the opposition and the Belarusian authorities.
“Victar Ivashkevich said many times that the Russian special services will try to set up both the dialog and the European March. Yesterday, was it a coincidence or not, the leader of “Revival of Russia Party” Gennadiy Selezniov came to Minsk. Exactly on that day Victar Ivashkevich was arrested. I had a telephone talk with him and he expressed his surprise that someone played dirty tricks in response to a serious proposal of the opposition to have a dialog. Yesterday evening Brussels was unformed about Victar Ivashkevich’s arrest. I was in Brussels some days ago and can say that they treat seriously the proposal of the opposition concerning the dialog and holding the European March. They will keep an eye on how the action will be held. The USA applied very tough sanctions against Belarusian officials. The EU is using only visa sanctions for the time being. But now, after the arrests of European-minded people everything can change”, - Andrey Sannikov declared.
Representative of the “For Freedom” movement Aliaksandr Zhuchkov on behalf of Aliaksandr Milinkevich, the leader of the movement, showed the protest against Victar Ivashkevich’s arrest. He also announced that Aliaksandr Milinkevich was ready to head the organizational committee of the European March in case Ivashkevich would be under arrest.
As leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka thinks, “the response of the opposition will be our solidarity in achieving our aims – holding the European and Social Marches”.
The Communist Party leader Siarhey Kaliakin remarked, that “the law enforcing bodies have become an instrument of criminal activity”.
“Before my own eyes the militia officer ordered the OMON soldiers to draw up reports and “appointed” them the witnesses of the fact that Victar Ivashkevich supposedly spread the leaflets, calling for the European March. Some military men make criminal orders and the other obey them”, - Kaliakin remarked.
“It is not the first time when the preventive detainments occur. The fabricated reports are familiar for us, as well. There is one surprising fact – Ivashkevich was arrested 20 days before the march. Ivashkevich’s arrest is the evidence of our successful preparation for the European March”, - remarked one of the “Young Front” leaders Zmiter Fedaruk.
In spite of Ivashkevich’s arrest the members of the organizational committee of the European March declared that they will continue to insist on the dialog between the authorities and the opposition for the normalization of the relations with Europe. The statement of the co-chairman of the Belarusian Socio-Democratic Party (Gramada) Igar Rynkevich seems rather strange in this connection.
“Viktar Ivashkevich was the adherent of the dialog, contacts with the President Administration, but his arrest has shown that the dialog is impossible. The dialog can be carried through the Office of Public Prosecutor, courts and even the International Tribunal. We have to revise our strategy and perhaps to use more harsh strategy”, - Igar Rynkevich declared.
Nevertheless, the initiative wasn’t supported by other oppositional leaders. “We want to have the dialog with sober minded people, who have patriotic feeling and think of their future. That’s why we will say again and again that the country can face critical situation. Belarus is our common ship, and if someone doesn’t want to be a rat, he must think with us how to save the ship”, - the BNF Party leader Vintsuk Viachorka declared.