Appeal by families of political prisoners delivered to Medvedev

The Embassy of the Russian Federation has passed the appeal from families of Belarusian political prisoners to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

It has been informed BelaPAN by the advisor of the Russian Embassy in Belarus Vadim Gusev.

“The letter was passed to the Ambassador yesterday and sent to Moscow to the addressee on that very day” – he said.

On February 10 Russia's Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov met with the wives of Aliaksej Mikhalevich, Zmitser Bandarenka and Mikalai Statkevich. These politicians are among the 42 accused of organising and participation in “mass riots” in Minsk on December 19, 2010.

As BelaPAN has been informed by Milana Mikhalevich, the meeting was “rather long”. “During the meeting the Ambassador several times repeated the phrase that the government should be magnanimous and merciful to its citizens. He also noted that on the issue of the prisoner’s release the position of Russia coincides with Europe’s position, and reminded the recent statement of minister Lavrov,” M. Mikhalevich said.

In the appeal to Dmitry Medvedev, the families of the political prisoners ask him “to bend every effort in order to bring to reason the Belarusian authorities, who have set in motion the flywheel of repressions, and now lives of thousands of people in Belarus are being ground by it.”

The has been signed by Ala Sannikava, Volha Bandarenka, Uladzimir Khalip, Lucyna Byalzatskaya, Darya Korsak (Atroshchankava), Nadzeya Radzina, Ullyana Kobets, Uladzimir Palazhanka, Maryna Adamovich (Statkevich's wife), Milana and Alena Mikhalevich, Zoya Yaumenava, Maryna Fyaduta.

We remind that earlier Medvedev ordered Russian Foreign Ministry to take into consideration opinion of human rights activists on the developments in Belarus during the recent presidential election when forming their position. “I can tell you directly, and I want all our Belarusian friends, in the broad sense of the word, to know about my position. I am surprised by what has happened there, too. And I have instructed for the Foreign Affairs Ministry to pay attention to the facts in your address when working out the diplomatic position of the Russian Federation in general,” Medvedev said at the session of the President's Council for the Promotion of the Institutes of Civil Society and Human Rights on February 1.

As for the attitude to the political life in Belarus, Dmitry Medvedev offered to refer to his blog: “I would not comment on all other things, and I offer to go to the fountainhead, to my blog. I have spoken my mind really freely on a number of aspects related to the developments of the political life in Belarus, I think. I want to tell you that I have not changed my viewpoint after the election,” Russia’s president stressed.