BBC: Minsk Invites EU to Dialogue, Detains Regime’s Critic :: Charter'97 :: News

Alyaksandr Lukashenka stated on Wednesday that Belarus wants to normalize relations with the EU, but do not see proper signals from Europe. A day before an opponent of the president with two previous convictions was placed to a remand prison again, BBC informs. The oppositional leader and political writer Andrei Klimau is charged with public appeals to change the constitutional order of the state.

As human rights activists believe, the reason could be an article placed at the web site of the United Civil Party (UCP). A member of the UCP, Klimau in his article wrote about Lukashenka’s involvement in abductions and assassination of Belarusian opposition leaders.

Minsk prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal action two weeks ago, but the oppositionist found out about charges from the press. He went to an investigator on Tuesday on his own initiative, to “straighten a misunderstanding”. Andrei Klimau was released in December last year, and as said by him, he was engaged in family life and not in politics all this time. An investigator Anatol Hadun stated to Klimau that he had a sanction for placing the politician to a remand prison for two months.

“Andrei is unlikely to be released before the trial,” told the leader of the “Human rights defence alliance” Liudmila Hraznova. “It is obvious that the regime is preparing another show trial and we will not have to wait for it long”.

Human rights activists underline that the article of the Criminal Code Klimau charged with is used in Belarus for the first time. The politician had been denied services of a state attorney.

“New street rallies are expected, and it is easer for the regime to have Klimau under constant supervision of a jail warden for this period,” thinks Anatol Lyabedzka, the leader of the United Civil party.

Oppositional politicians state that the Belarusian regime is demonstratively ignoring offers of the united Europe to resume the dialogue with Belarus.

“Presenting criminal charged to five activists of the Young Front organisation, forcible admission of an activist Krystsina Shatsikava to a mental hospital, mass arrests on the eve of Freedom Day rallies, the arrest of Andrei Klimau are the facts that disavowed Lukashenka’s statements about readiness to cooperate with the West,” Anatol Lyabedzka said.