Sannikov discusses situation in Belarus with senator McCain and minister MacKay

The dictatorship in Belarus is one of the world's challenges.

Andrei Sannikov, the leader of European Belarus civil campaign, took part in the famous Sedona Forum, an event organised every spring by the McCain Institute.

The Forum in Sedona (Arizona, the US) gathers the world's leaders in different fields: politics, economics, business and civil society. This year's Forum was attended by American senators, including head of the Armed Services Committee Senator John McCain; head of the Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Bob Corker; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Peter MacKay; former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; one of the leaders of the Russian opposition and former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov; SpaceX CEO and founder of Tesla and PayPal Elon Musk; the Washington Post editor Fred Hiatt; Russian journalist Zhanna Nemtsova, a daughter of killed politician Boris Nemtsov; UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Maina Kiai; actress Demi Moore; Freedom House president Mark Lagon; former UK Foreign Minister and brother of current Labour Party leader David Miliband, and others.

The most acute international problems, including global economic challenges, IS threats, new dangers related to Russia, the US policy in the world, were discussed at the forum.

Andrei Sannikov spoke about the situation in Belarus in connection with Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The politician answered questions of charter97.org after the forum.

– Mr Sannikov, what particular questions did you raised?

– I quoted American human rights defender Catherine Fitzpatrick: “The old Belarusian polygon method is in play -- today we are seeing Andrei Sannikov on trial, and only saw Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev on trial in Moscow -- but tomorrow we will see Boris Nemtsov on trial -- and not for 15 days, next year in their elections. The time to put your foot down on Russian oppression is now, in Minsk, as it will all be replayed soon enough if we don't. This is definitely a "for your freedom and ours moment".

It was written in May 2011, when opposition leaders and activists were tried in Minsk. We were tried because we were winning the elections. I have all grounds to say it today.

The warning of Catherine Fitzpatrick and many others wasn't heard. The West lacked the political will to declare Lukashenka an illegitimate dictator and support democratic forces in Belarus.

We see even more surprising things amid tragic events in Ukraine. Some try to turn the dictator into a “mediator” and a “peacekeeper”. European leaders and EU high-ranking officials have begun to pay numerous visits to Minsk, but they for some reason “feel shy” to raise the question of political repression and political prisoners. Lukashenka feels he cannot be punished, so he has strengthened repression and organised unprecedented pressure on political prisoners. He doesn't need good relations with the West, he doesn't need economic reforms, he needs western money to save his regime. The money will be spent on a new wave of repression and military exercises under Russia's command. One-third of military hardware at the parade in Minsk will be from Russia.

Lukashenka, who has been an enemy of democracy for many years, cannot be an ally in the struggle for a democratic, independent Ukraine.

It turned out that the former Soviet “evil empire” didn't disappear. It has transformed into a “cooperative of dictators” that suppresses aspirations of people for freedom in the entire post-Soviet area and threatens the world's security. None Realpolitik can cope with this threat. It's time to recall the slogan “For our freedom and yours” and get rid of dictatorships, big and small.

– How did the American establishment take your speech?

– To be honest, it is easier to speak about Belarusian problems in the US than in Europe. I said it to the audience. They sometimes understand the situation in dictatorial countries better. In the US, you don't hear such a popular in Europe term as “Realpolitik”. The audience understood perfectly that Russia's aggression in Ukraine threw down the gauntlet not only to the independence of Ukraine and Belarus, but also to the existence of Europe. They are concerned about the situation. They understand the dictatorial regime in Belarus is what the Kremlin needs.

– What does Senator McCain think about the situation in Belarus?

– Senator McCain and I agreed to continue the discussion of the situation in our country. He knows our situation well. He consistently and decisively speaks against the dictatorship and defends political prisoners and free speech.

– Actress Demi Moore supported Belarusian political prisoners due to you. How do such displays of solidarity help?

– The support by Demi Moore is very important, because she is well known both in the US and in Belarus. In addition, she is famous as an activist struggling against human trafficking. I know from my own experience that such support is very important, because it draws attention of the world community to the problem of Belarusian political prisoners.

In Sedona, I spoke with many politicians and human rights defenders about political prisoners and asked them to keep an eye on the situation.

– Is the US able to stop the flirting of European politicians with dictatorships?

– It is able, if the US returns to Europe. There are many threats to the international peace and security that require close coordination of actions by the US and Europe. The dictatorial regime in Belarus is one of such challenges, and I spoke about it at the Forum.

The US, which several times took a role of the leader in the struggle for human rights and democratic values, is able to do it, moreover it must do it today.