Belarusian Opposition Visited Warsaw :: Charter'97 :: News

The representatives of the Belarusian democratic opposition, members of the coalition “Five Plus”, as well as the activists of the youth resistance movement Zubr and the “Union of Belarusian Students”, have visited Warsaw. The Belarusian democrats had a meeting with the leadership of the Polish Sejm, representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the Security Council of Poland, influential non-governmental organizations.

The Belarusian delegation was represented by the leaders of coalition “Five Plus” Anatol Lyabedzka, Stanislau Shushkevich, Syarhei Kalyakin, Vintsuk Vyachorka, Uladzimir Charvonenka, the coordinator of the Zubr movement Uladzimir Kobets, the head of the Union of Belarusian students Volha Kuzmich.

As the Charter’97 press center was informed by one of the members of the Belarusian delegation, Zubr coordinator Uladzimir Kobets, the Belarusian oppositionists met with Vice President of the European Parliament Janusz Onyszkiewicz, the chairman of the Polish Parliament Wlodzimierz Cimoszevicz, the chairman of the Security Council Jerzy Bahre, deputy Chairman of the Foreign Ministry of Poland Andrzej Zalucki, the chairman of the Sejm Commission on Foreign Affairs Jerzy Jaskiernia, representatives of the departments of the Foreign Ministry of Poland, influential non-governmental organizations and foreign ambassadors accredited in Warsaw.

During the meetings the issue of Belarusian-Polish relations was discussed, the problem of human rights in Belarus, the situation before the presidential elections. The representatives of the Belarusian delegation also told about the situation of Belarusian political prisoners, in particular, state of health of former minister and diplomat Mikhail Marynich.

During the visit to Warsaw Zubr coordinator Uladzimir Kobets brought up the issue of international assistance in investigation of assassinations of oppositional politicians and a journalist in Belarus. The Zubr leader also asked about possibilities of education in Europe for youth organizations’ activists who were expelled from universities for political activities, and facilitation of the procedure of issuing visas to all EU countries for Belarusian citizens.

At the talks with Belarusian democrats high-ranking Polish officials noted that recently the situation with human rights in Belarus had aggravated seriously. They assured that the official policy of Poland in relations to Belarus would always be aimed at support of democratic choice of the Belarusian nation, re-establishment of rights, freedoms and the European future of the Belarusians.

“You have lots of friends in Poland,” told Wlodzimierz Cimoszevicz, the chairman of the Polish Sejm. “The European Union should act openly in relations with Belarus, like in the case of Ukraine. The state of affairs in Belarus is very sad. Te situation with human rights is getting worse and worse. One should say frankly one of the European societies is being deprived of fundamental rights and freedoms”.

It should be noted that while crossing the Belarusian-Polish border the luggage of the members of the Belarusian delegation was searched meticulously. Several books “Nashestvie” (“Invasion”) belonging to the chairman of the United Civil party Anatol Lyabedzka were confiscated.