Former Belarusian diplomat and minister Pavel Latushka is now in charge of the People’s Anti-Crisis Administration (PACA). In an interview with Belsat, the opposition leader commented on the post-election protest situation and made mention of his being under the KGB’s scrutiny.
Protection
“I do not have a personal security team. But some measures are taken to ensure additional security of PACA staff, including me. We know that a potential threat exists; we have repeatedly got such information via various channels. There were instructions at the highest level to ‘close mouths, which concerned both in Tsikhanouskaya and Latushka. We did get such information. But I would not overestimate the capabilities of our special services. KGB officers have been instructed to monitor all the things that bear a relation to me and the People’s Anti-Crisis Administration in Poland, i.e. what actions we take, whom we contact. This [numerous leaks] proves once again that the state system is not almighty. Not everyone puts their faith in Lukashenka, not everyone is ready to keep their mouth shut.”
New steps
“What has happened in recent months has been very important for the formation of a new civil society in Belarus, for understanding the developments that are taking place in our country. But there should be new steps. We are going to tell Belarus’ society about them in the near future.”
Protests
“The current protest activity, including [people’s gathering] in offstrrt yards, shows that it exists, it is not dying down. People take to the streets, and they deserve all possible praise for that. But we should prepare for a great Belarusian resistance march. This is what we need to do to achieve our goal. Such a march should be held in Belarus.”
Sanctions
“We will be intensively working on the fourth package of EU sanctions; all political centres coordinate their activities regarfing the issue. The second point is American sanctions. The Democracy Act has already been adopted, but the sanctions have not yet taken effect. If we give a careful perusal to the act, we see that it provides the US administration with unprecedented sanction tools against the Belarusian regime. It is crucial that we understand that the window of opportunity has been opened, there is still some time left until the sanctions come into effect. There is still an opportunity to launch a dialogue.”
