Political Prisoners in Belarus (Winter 2008)

Aleksandr Lukashenko admitted on 2/15/2008 that he knew well about bad health of political prisoner Aleksandr Kazulin´s wife and tried to use that situation for bargaining with the West and European Union. Irina Kazulina is seriously ill, while her husband has been kept in prison for 2 years on political motives. Release of all political prisoners is the main requirement of the EU and the USA.

The Charter´97 Press Center asked Kazulin´s daughter Olga to comment on Lukashenka´s statements. "Our mother is dying and Aleksandr Lukashenko knows it perfectly. Saying that he is ready to release our father for mother´s treatment is height of cynicism. Let him not hide behind our mother. It´s shameless and inhuman," Olga Kazulina said.

Visiting Vitsebsk region the same day, Aleksandr Lukashenko said there is no more question about political prisoners. "Question concerning the so called political prisoners is closed," he said, giving interview to Interfax. According to Lukashenko, the so called political prisoners "were punished in accordance with the Criminal Code, for particular crimes."

Yep, sure they are Mr. Big Liar! Can you imagine Barack Obama throwing Hillary Clinton in prison for 5 years in the year 2009? Bad dreams, you say?

For people in Belarus is a harsh reality. Aleksandr Kazulin was punished with 5,5 years in prison just because he wanted to be a new president of Belarus. Andrey Klimov was punished with an absurd 2 year sentence for his article on the internet (luckily he was released on 2/16/2008!), Andrey Kim was arrested for taking part in the entrepreneurs rally and can stay in prison cell for up to 6 years, Aleksandr Zdvizhkov was convicted for 3 years for reprinted Prophet Mohammed caricature. Cases of political prisoners in Belarus are made up with all those absurd groundless criminal convictions and all those cases are endless just because the judicial system is so corrupt and dishonest.

As Pavel Severinets, founder of the Christian Democratic Party, admits the human rights situation in Belarus is getting worse lately:

"There are more dissent criminal cases, political criminal cases in Belarus today than in the 1970ies. In other words, today´s repressions have exceeded the level of repressions in the period of stagnation. One more alarming signal is when people over high-profiled and famous cases can be released via Europe´s pressure or bargaining with it, but the awful dynamics of administrative arrests, expelling from university and dismissals is growing. The human rights situation in the country is becoming worse and worse day after day."