‘Legitimization’: Two ex-political prisoners criticizing EU for inviting Lukashenka to EaP summit


Mikalai Statkevich and Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu issued an appeal to the leaders of EU member countries, the President of the European Council and other European officials.

“Inviting Alyaksandr Lukashenka to the EaP summit in Brussels is not just a step in the current EU-Belarus dialogue. It is the legitimization of Lukashenka, the legalization of his policy and regime which has been up to his old tricks – repression and persecution,” the statement reads.

According to the opposition politicians, there have been new political prisoners in Belarus, people are under pressure for political reasons, activists are arrested, fined and beaten.

“Of course, one can turn a blind eye to it. But if one remains sincere, invitation a head of the police state to a democratic Europe means the promotion of his repressive policy,” say the authors of the appeal.

Statkevich and Nyaklyayeu stress that they are not against the dialogue with the Belarusian regime, but only under certain conditions, i.e. the release of political prisoners, democratization of the law, etc.

“If democratically elected leaders sit down at the same table with a dictator who turned the elections into a farce, they insult their voters. If leaders of respected countries negotiate on equal ground with a ‘president’, who voluntarily turned his country into a branch of another country, they bring themselves down to his level. He who shakes the hand stained with the blood of our kidnapped and killed friend shows that they are resigned to their being murdered,” they believe.

As reported earlier, the European Union is ready to welcome Belarus president Alyaksandr Lukashenka at the summit which is scheduled for November, 24. A decision on the level of Belarus’ participation in the event will be made ‘in due time’, Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey said in October.

ІІ, belsat.eu

TWITTER