28 March 2024, Thursday, 20:33
Support
the website
Sim Sim,
Charter 97!
Categories

Mikalai Statkevich: Belarusians Hate the Authorities

27
Mikalai Statkevich: Belarusians Hate the Authorities
Mikalai Statkevich
PHOTO BY SVABODA.ORG

Lukashenka should swan off, the politician believes.

"Power to the People" - that was the slogan of the yesterday's action announced by the Belarusian National Congress. Then, the organizers did not filed an application to the City Executive Committee, but only informed the authorities.

The 20th anniversary of the referendum was the reason. Opponents of the current regime name it as coup d'état, the results of which were recognized by the international community. In addition to a number of changes in the Constitution the referendum held on the Lukashenka's initiative on November 24, 1996 illegally extended the power.

Politician and former political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich in his interview to Belsat emphasized that the purpose of such actions is to gain space of freedom.

"We won back space of freedom in the center of Minsk, and it is still ours. We wait until the Belarusian society matures to take advantage of it to change the political and economic situation in the country", Statkevich stressed.

In his opinion, the majority of people at the action was from regions, where more noticeable drop in living standards is observed.

"Some regions, especially in eastern Belarus, suffer desperate times. The number of people proved the scale of dissatisfaction. There were people from Mahilyeu, Homel, Lida, Baranavichy and so on. The drop of living standards is observed not as much as in the regions, people there hate the authorities," former political prisoner points out.

20 years ago the majority of Belarusians did not understand what happened, the politician mentioned.

"That was a crime - when one person, the people entrusted the safety of their state, captured the power. Now we reap rewards of what was done 20 years ago, there is no positive outcome for a person under current regime. I know that you are scared and there is only little hope, faith, but we have no other way, we will have to take changes on our own not to let the country to go to glory. And we have to gain strength and to do something about it. I wish you courage, will, and firmness," Mikalai Statkevich said.

Write your comment 27

Follow Charter97.org social media accounts