Ronald Pofalla: We will push for release of all political prisoners

Chancellor Angela Merkel's top assistant, Ronald Pofalla has met with representatives of the Belarusian opposition.

The meeting took place on May 4 in Vulnius. Among its participants were Pavel Marynich, a coordinator of “European Belarus” civil campaign, Maryna Adamovich, one of the coordinators of “Release” (“Vyzvalennye”) civil campaign which unites relatives of Belarusian political prisoners; Ales Mikhalevich, a fugitive presidential candidate who escaped Belarus, a secretary of the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Dzyanis Sadouski, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, a chairman of “For Freedom” movement, a deputy chairman of the United Civil Party Leu Marholin, Alyaksei Yanukevich, leader of the Belarusian Popular Front Party, and a human rights activist Raisa Mikhajlouskaya.

Before the meeting began, Ronald Pofalla stated:

“Today morning I talked to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. She presents best regards to all of you. For her personally it is very important to use all possibilities to successfully insist on release of all political prisoners. Last week I discussed Belarusian issues and this today’s meeting with Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. Both the Federal Chancellor and Vice Chancellor have a common stand: the events of December 19 are unacceptable, and that we shall seek release of all political prisoners and freeing them from charges.”

In a conversation with the head at the German Chancellery, representatives of the Belarusian opposition expressed their unified position concerning the about necessity to push for release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, who had been cracked down on after the presidential election on December 19, and have also stated that it is necessary to impose economic sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime.

Ales Mikhalevich described in detail what tortures are applied against political prisoners in the KGB jail. Pavel Marynich, a coordinator of “European Belarus”, expressed gratitude to the representative of German government, stressing that the presidential election had been lost by Lukashenka, and he is illegitimate today. And Andrei Sannikov, a presidential candidate who stood best chances to become a president of Belarus, is arrested and faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

Then Pavel Marynich expanded on the freedom of speech situation in Belarus. He underlined that Andrei Sannikov’s press secretary, Alyaksandr Atroshchankau, had been already sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, while one of the leaders of Sannikov’s campaign headquarters, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Zmitser Bandarenka, had been sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment. A well-known journalist, a winner of many international awards Iryna Khalip stays under house arrest before trial; a journalist of Polish “Gazeta Wyborcza” Andrzej Poczobut was arrested, and the editor-in-chief of charter97.org website Natallya Radzina, who had spent some time in the KGB jail as well, had to run away from Belarus fleeing from criminal prosecution. The last two nation-wide independent newspapers “Narodnaya Volya” and “Nasha Niva” are likely to be shut down one of these days, and there would be no more independent mass media in Belarus.

Ronald Pofalla expressed concern over total violations of human rights in Belarus and assured that there would be an appropriate response of the West to that.