Lukashenka won’t get money

The former political prisoner, Doctor of Medicine Yury Bandazheuski, is set to change the direction of financial flows of European aid to Belarus for overcoming aftermaths of Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, and has received support of European deputies in that.

As we have informed, before the week-end non-governmental mass-media of Belarus informed that a conference was held in the European parliament. Its topic was a policy of Belarus in liquidation of aftermaths of Chernobyl catastrophe. In the declaration adopted summing up the results of the discussion, it is stated that Europe should help Belarus in this problem, but without cooperation with he regime. In the statement, the EP noted the need to launch independent funding channels to fund the rehabilitation of radioactively-contaminated areas in Belarus and make the channels secure from abuses on the part of the Belarusian “authoritarian regime,” “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” writes.

It was stated during the discussion that Belarusian citizens are unaware of the truthful information about the situation in areas affected by the disaster and consequences of the disaster. Those affected do not receive necessary social protection and medial aid. To improve the situation, it has been offered to set an international scientific and research center “Ecology and Health” in Lithuania, and an international syndicate of assistance to former Chernobyl cleanup workers.

According to reports, Doctor of Medicine Yury Bandazheuski initiated to start discussion of Chernobyl problem. Yury Bandazheuski, former rector of the Homel Medical Institute in Belarus (until 2001), was a researcher on effects of low doses of radiation on human health. He has written more than 200 works on the topic, stating that Belarusian regime understates aftermaths of the Chernobyl disaster. In 1999 Bandazheuski was arrested, and in 2001 he was convicted for bribery and sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment. After a conditional early release he worked in France, and then moved to Lithuania. “Amnesty International” recognized him a prisoner of conscience. Mr. Bandazheuski has a Freedom Passport, which allows him to live in any country of the EU. He actively brings up the topic of Chernobyl disaster, as he believes that with time it gets forgotten unjustly.

In February this year Yury Bandazheuski sent an open letter to Belarusian media. He stated that the health of the nation is under threat because of the Belarusian regime’s irresponsibility. Belarusian citizens continue to be exposed to radiation from food, which causes increase of number of cardiovascular diseases.

Even then he said that the European Parliament approved his idea of creating a scientific and research center of ecology and health. The center is to continue studying influence of radiation on human body, and elaborate concrete measures for solving existing problems. It was said in the letter that Lithuanian government raise no objections to its siting in Vilnius.