Valeria Novodvorskaya: "Such Methods Possible Only In State Ruled By Tyrant" :: Charter'97 :: News

Leader of the Russian party Democratic Union Valeria Novodvorskaya, who was born in the Belarusian town of Baranavichy, and, as said by her, always keeps track of the events in motherland with interest, considers the situation with human rights in Belarus catastrophic. Commenting on the situation in Belarus, Valeria Novodvorskaya always adverts to the most obscure times in the history of the Soviet Union, the 30ies of the 20th century. The party leaders also used to talk about observing human rights of Soviet people. “The right of the nation to give away its freedom to the first tyrant who comes along, the right to renounce one’s rights and freedoms does not constitute a right. It is a forced trick, totally peculiar to a concentration camp. A person certainly has a full right to write avowal of guilt confessing to be an American, English and Japanese spy, like they did in the 1930ies. Those people, who were brought to court at that time, obviously had such a right as well. But it cannot be considered a right, “ believes Valeria Novodvorskaya.

Ms Novodvorskaya said that the Belarusian authorities are treating unceremoniously not only their citizens. Deportation of Russian politicians, Boris Nemtsov and Iryna Khakamada, from Belarus, is the most indicative example of the uselessness of the words about Russian-Belarusian relations.

“Remind me of any other country from which the closest neighbors holding high parliamentary positions were expelled right from the airport. Boris Nemtsov, at that time the leader of the Union of Right Forces faction in the State Duma, and Irina Khakamada, ex-Vice-Speaker of the Russian parliament, who came to Minsk for a conference, were not allowed even to come to the city. The KGB officers of Belarus arrested them in the airport, tried to place money in their things stealthily, and tried to force them to confess that they had arrived to carry out hostile activities. Finally they were deported back to Russia. Such methods are possible only in a country ruled by a tyrant. And not by a modern one, but by a medieval saurian like Lukashenka,” told Valeria Novodvorskaya in her interview to Radio Svaboda.