Gennady Karpenko’s Family Gets Political Asylum in Germany :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarusian political immigrants in exile are now joined by Ludmila Karpenko, her children Dmitry and Tatyana and granddaughter Nastya. The German authorities had been considering their asylum plea for three months and concluded that the Karpenko family is facing a real danger on the territory of Belarus, reports Radio Ratsya.

Ludmila Karpenko is convinced that the Belarusian authorities are to blame for her husband’s sudden demise. Deputy chair of the 13th Supreme Soviet, one of the United Civil Party leaders had passed away under mysterious circumstances in 1999. Ever since then the family of the late politician has been an object of thorough attention of the security services, which grew especially intense in the follow-up of last year’s presidential elections.

Before the Karpenkos were granted political shelter Ludmila Karpenko released a special statement in which she pointed out her civil position:

“My life turned in a way that I’m now living in Germany. Never in my life had I though that something like that would happen to me. I love my homeland, my country, the people of Belarus. In 1994 there occurred a tragedy in our country. The power in Belarus was taken over by a man who doesn’t care for his nation at all but rather for his own well-being and his sweeping authority. In order to hold grab on the supreme power Lukashenko uses political terror and physically annihilates his opponents, applying methods inherent to the most odious dictators. The first victim who fell prey to this policy of his on April 6, 1999 was my husband – Gennady Karpenko – leader of the country’s democratic forces and Lukashenko’s main rival. Lukashenko, you killed my husband, you destroyed my life and crippled my children’s lives. There’s no forgiveness to you neither before God nor before people. After the bloody massacre the country is left in the dictator’s grab. The country doesn’t stick to the law, living after the will of the idol, which determines who must be killed, imprisoned, stripped of money and who will indulge in luxury.”

The Karpenkos are living in the town of Efingen near Stuttgart. Their life conditions are quite modest, but they aren’t grumbling. “The hardest thing to me is not being able to visit my husband’s tomb. (Weeps) It is at his grave that I found the power for further life and struggle before,” – says Ludmila Karpenko.