Dzmitry Bandarenka: «First Of All I’m Grateful to Youth» :: Charter'97 :: News

I am grateful to all people who took part in the protest on July 21. First of all, I am thankful to the young people, activists of the Zubr movement and the Young Front. I am also thankful to the deputies of the group “Respublika”, who have gone through a considerable evolution during the last year or two, and from an “office politicians” they have become organizers of street actions. I understand how difficult it is, but I think it was a big step forward,” told coordinator of he civil initiative Charter’97 Dzmitry Bandarenka, who was released after 15 days of arrest for participation of the action on July 21, dedicated to the end of the 10-year period of Lukashenka’s rule.

On August 5 in front of the entrance of the special detention center Dzmitry Bandarenka was met by Zubr activists, Young Front activists, deputies of the group “Respublika”, human rights watchdogs, friends and relatives.

As said by the politician, the action on July 21 has received unusual informational resonance. “Belarusian theme got into world news. The whole world has seen that there is a dictatorship in Belarus, which is based only on violence, and that there are courageous and fearless people who fight despite of repressions. I am grateful to all who have supported me and my friends in prison. First of all Russian journalists, reporters of Russian TV channels, newspaper “Izvestiya”, “Novaya Gazeta”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda” and others. This support is especially felt in prison,” told Mr. Bandarenka.

The Charter’97 coordinator believes that on July 21 the regime has used the same tactics as four years before, when the rally on March 25, 2000 has been suppressed: protesters were not allowed on the square, brutal dissemination and arrests. “Lukashneka’s dilemma today is either to lose informational war, by breaking up demonstrations and banning them, or to let demonstrations and protests in the center of the city, then they will be very numerous. Now he is choosing the way of suppressing, but to my opinion, the protest on July 21 overshadowed his press conference the day before. As a Minsk native I can say that if Mahilyou’s native Alyaksandar Lukashenka has a right, even being the head of the state, to carry out his propaganda shows in the center of the city, my colleagues and me have a right for carrying out protest actions in the center of the city. The rights of all people are equal. We stand up for our right for peaceful protest and peaceful demonstrations”.

As said by Dzmitry Bandarenka, “protest on July 21 can be viewed as a training before street actions this autumn. We are saying at once, that if the authorities are planning violations of law and falsification of elections, they will face protest. And there are people who can lead this protest”.