Good-natured van der Linden :: Charter'97 :: News

Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Rene van der Linder today at the press-conference in Minsk has told that he supposedly discussed the subject of kidnapping and killing of the Belarusian opposition leaders with Belarusian officials , yet he did not dwell on the concrete outcomes of the talk. Van der Linden responded dimly to the statement of the Charter’97 press-center that Belarusian authorities had not satisfied a single condition of the PACE on democratization of Belarus saying that he did not belong to those policymakers who demand fulfillment of requirements without a step toward the opponent ,i.e he belongs to those who are ready to be the first to stretch the hand. “You can’t change the country in one night,” he repeated several times, because he might have been unaware that Lukashenka’s regime had been in power for already twelve years. Van der Linden called talks with Belarusian functionaries ”open and sincere” and declared that all the conditions which he had put forward to the Belarusian authorities before coming to Belarus were fulfilled. And he didn’t mention the fact that he was not allowed to meet the political prisoner Alyaksandar Kazulin, though it was one of the major demands.

Van der Linden was proudly saying that he was allowed to meat the Kazulin’s spouse Irina and he thanked the authorities for that.

Fortunately, Mr.van der Linden declared that the Belarusian National Assembly was not yet ready for entering the PACE. And the main demand for that is release of the political prisoners . Nevertheless, to make the Belarusian authorities to admit at last before the whole world that they persecute people for their political views van der Linden suggests to attract experts of the Venetian commission for them to make a conclusion if this or that Belarusian is persecuted for his political views or not. ”Let us start with the release of political prisoners. If it is argued whether this or that person is a political prisoner or not, let us invite international experts and accept conclusions of their mission on the investigated facts,” said the PACE chairman.
Thus the PACE chairman doubted the authority of the “International Amnesty” human rights protecting organization which for the period of 12 years have acknowledged thousands of Belarusians beaten and arrested at the peaceful meetings and demonstrations to be political prisoners and declares today that Mikalai Statkevitchn, Paval Seviarinetz, Zmitzer Dashkevich , Aliaksandar Kazulin are political prisoners.

Questions were persistently asked why head of the PACE accepted the invitation of not acknowledged and not legitimate “national assembly” and came to Belarus? Van der Linden used to answer that he had come for a dialogue and construction of good relationship. He was sure that the regime would take it close to its heart and become democratic.

“Van der Linden was so persistently striving for a visit to Belarus that he might have promised someone to come by all means. Maybe, his friends in the Russian Duma. Chairman of the PACE consciously dared to violate the decisions and policy of this authorized European institution, thus weakening the consolidated policy of the PACE deputies regarding Belarus. His visit may be treated as another clumsy attempt to provide at least a minor international acknowledgement of dictatorship regime. Why is van deer Linden so personally interested in supported the non-legitimate ”assemblers” we can only guess . Hopefully, this unauthorized visit will get a deserved estimation of the European parliamentarians as even a high official of the international institution may not contradict the decisions of this organization. We can remember another functionary of the PACE, a former special reporter on Belarus Aazim Mollazade, whose visit was also insisted upon by the Belarusian officials. The condition of his coming to Belarus was release of the political prisoners but because that didn’t occur he refused to arrive in Belarus. Perhaps van deer Linden’s idea of adherence to principles is different. Certainly, this visit cannot be treated as a support to democratic forces and democratic processes in Belarus. We are well aware that any relaxation on the part of international organizations and democratic states leads to strengthening of repressions, to deterioration of the attitude toward political prisoners and unties the hands of the regime. I believe that even van der Lindedn realized once again that the dialogue with “the assembliers” and other functionaries who are not decision -makers in this situation is impossible,” declared international coordinator of the Charter’97 Andrey Sannikau commenting on the visit of the PACE chairman to Belarus.