Authorities pit workers against oppositionists
- 5.04.2012, 11:36
An employee of Mozyr oil refinery Maryna Tsybliyenka filed a lawsuit against a politician Viktar Ivashkevich.
In Panorama program on Belarusian TV there was a report that a worker of Mozyr oil refinery Maryna Tsybliyenka filed a lawsuit against Viktar Ivashkevich, Radio Svaboda informs.
The cause for the lawsuit was the fact that Viktar Ivashkevich allegedly urged European companies to boycott Belarusian oil products. Tsybliyenka demands from Viktar Ivashkevich to pay Br 500,000 of moral damages, which had been allegedly inflicted on her personally by statements of Ivashkevich. She also demands from him to stop further calls for sanctions.
Panorama informs that the court noted Tsybliyenka’s claim, and banned Viktar Ivashkevich from going abroad as a judicial measure.
Besides, Panorama TV program demonstrated a spot about the meeting of a trade union organization of Naftan company. BT journalists state that a document was adopted there, which condemns those who urge to impose sanctions against Belarus. According to this document, “Naftan workers reserve the right to file a suit against Ivashkevich, Uss, Kalyakin and others.”
“I have not received any summons, have not been given anything, I have not signed any documents that I am banned from leaving abroad. I know nothing about any courts,” Ivashkevich commented on the situation.
“Since Soviet times there is a group of people at every enterprise who preside at different meetings. They want to be close with the administration sincerely. Previously they joined the Communist party, were members of the presidium, members of committees.
Such people have always existed. I even remember the times of Perestroika, when the People’s Front was just established, and “heroes of labour” started to publish articles in many newspapers, and they condemned enemies of the Belarusian nation. It is just a residue of the Soviet times. And just remember how people shouted “these dogs must be brought to account” in Stalin’s times. It was done by active workers as well. It is a typically Soviet situation.
It does not mean that the sentiments in the society are like this. According to the recent survey of the National Institute of Social and Political Research, 66% of Belarusians believe that political prisoners should be released in order to lift the sanctions and normalize relations. Political prisoners should be released, and then sanctions would be out of question. And this is their stupid response to the sanctions on the part of the EU. It is such a ridiculous move.
The thing which interests me more is how public this court will be. The more open is will be, the louder the topic of political prisoners could be brought up,” the politician stated.