Alexander Lukashenko couldn’t but react to the April 19 events. Speaking yesterday before the MPs with an annual missive, the Belarusian leader broke into an aggressive and irritated speech concerning the social Protest March. Lukashenko’s wrath and unprecedented in terms of cruelty ill-treatment of the protesters is yet another confirmation of the fact that any reminders of Lukashenko’s failure to keep his election promises, are the dictator’s weak point. Following is an excerpt from Lukashenko’s speech, dedicated to the Protest March, NTV correspondent Pavel Selin, events in Kuropaty and the whole opposition in general.
One of the participants of the Protest March “Can’t Live Like That Anymore!” (April 19, Minsk) has published in Internet his vision of the events (http://lyavaart.at.tut.by/apr.htm#1) He is a Minsk dweller not belonging to any Belarusian political party, just a citizen of his country who wanted to express protest to the existing regime. You can read the account of the events of April 19 here.
“On April 19 the authorities forbade and dispersed the peaceful protest rally “CAN’T LIVE LIKE THAT!”, carried out under social slogans. Over 100 were detained and some beaten by the riot police and hospitalized. The security services’ actions were of an extremely cruel character, which cannot be justified. Police beat the people, which sat on the pavement and didn’t resist. They also widely applied special tools, violence against those under legal age, females and elderly people.
Human life is short. Astronomically speaking, it lasts but a few minutes. But even those few minutes can be a real torture for a person. So painful that the man can no longer endure it and settles accounts with his life. On April 15 a KGB colonel committed suicide in Belarus. Young, strong man, 38, could no longer bear the yoke of the earthly existence. Gunshot from Makarov ended the life of the “Iron” Dzerjinsky’s follower.
Dear countrymen, Brutal dispersal of the April 19 peaceful action once again proved the anti-national nature of the Belarusian authorities. People were beaten and thrown in jail for demanding decent lives for the Belarusian nation, bigger salaries, payment of pensions in time, stipends and compensation of the lost money deposits. The citizens of Belarus deserve better life and we will get it. The state wants to intimidate us, make us keep silent, so that they could freely commit lawlessness, plunder people and turn us into their obedient slaves. This won’t happen if we open our mouths and stop tolerating humiliation. With the current government in power our lives are becoming worse and we are facing more problems. We’ll never overcome them if we fail to protect ourselves. April 26 is one of the most tragic dates in our history – anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. Join the Chernobyl Shlyach, stand for the human rights, don’t let Chernobyl poison all our life. We won’t be able to be there with you on April 26 from the judiciary arbitrariness, but we are all the same with you and the country in our struggle for freedom. Thank all of you for your support and encouragement. Together we will overcome! Dmitry Bondarenko – 15 days of jail Nikolai Khalezin – 15 days of jail Yuri Khaschevatsky – 10 days of jail Valery Schukin – 15 days of jail
One of the main reasons of the Belarusian authorities against appointment of Ambassador Ebergard Haiken envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office to Belarus is that the decision was not coordinated with the countries-participants of this international organization. In this connection the OSCE secretary general Ian Kubis has made a special statement. As Radio Svaboda informs, the general idea of the statement is the following: the OSCE chairman-in-office who appointed Eberhard Haiken his special envoy, had not violated international agreements. Ambassador Haiken has received diplomatic rank of a “special envoy”, and the OSCE chairman-in-office needs agreement of other countries only in case he appoints not a special envoy, but a personal representative. It is stated by article 22 of the first part of the decisions of Helsinki summit that took place in 1992.
Ahead of another anniversary since the Chernobyl disaster representatives of the international organization “Scientists against nuclear research” and staffers of the independent laboratory of radiological research CRIRAD (France) are holding a series of actions in support of the Belarusian professor Yuri Bandazhevsky.
On Tuesday the NTV press-service said that it never received a reprimand from the Belarusian governing bodies for violating the rules of operation on the territory of the country, reports RIA “Novosti”.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka refuses to disclose the sources of financing which enabled him to buy Mercedeses for local officials of the executive bodies. Yesterday in his speech in the “chamber of representatives” Lukashenka said that 170 Mercedeses were bought “at a bargain price”, moreover, not a cent form the state budget was spent. According to Lukashenka, Mrs. Zhuravkova, the present Charge-d’Affaires of the presidential administration, went to Germany personally to reach a deal.
Strike at the open joint stock company “Orsha” was launched by the employees of two workshops, as well as the members of the Free trade union. The lawyer of the FTU Oleg Grablevsky says that the strike is merely a warning: by so doing the workers demand from the administration certain guarantees for the timely payment of wages, reports Radio Svaboda.
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