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Over 25 Nobel laureates have strongly criticized the severe suppression in Belarus in a public statement calling for the immediate liberation of arrested political activists in the autocratic nation.
The signatories include Oscar Arias Sanchez, ex-president of Costa Rica; Jose Ramos-Horta, president of East Timor; Dmitry Muratov, a journalist and former editor-in-chief of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta; and Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer.
Activist Dmitry Bolkunets has released a letter on his website stating that in the last four years, more than 50,000 individuals in Belarus have experienced political repression and hundreds of thousands have been compelled to flee the country. Additionally, thousands have been subjected to torture.
The authoritarian president of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has been referred to as Europe’s remaining dictator. He is a strong ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and permitted Belarus to serve as a base for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
has agreed to
strengthen their alliance
The presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, have come to an agreement to enhance their alliance.
For almost three decades, he has been the leader of Belarus and recently used harsh tactics against opponents following widespread protests following his controversial win in the 2020 election, which was disputed due to allegations of fraud.
The letter, directed to all EU countries but with a focus on Poland as Belarus’ largest Western neighbor, states that entire families, mothers with multiple children, minors, the gravely ill, the elderly, and the disabled are currently being held in horrendous conditions. It calls on EU governments to suspend rail freight shipments from Belarus, including transit from Russia and China, in order to use their influence and bring about change.
Europe has not experienced a humanitarian crisis resulting from political oppression on a per capita basis as severe as the one currently unfolding in Belarus, according to the letter.
We urge the governments of all EU countries, especially the government of Poland, to take prompt action to end the violent suppression in Belarus and demand the release of all individuals detained for political reasons.
People who work in journalism, education, healthcare, music, and various professions, as well as students and individuals who advocate for human rights, such as Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ales Bialiatski, are being detained in the eastern European nation, which also borders Russia, Ukraine, and NATO members Lithuania and Latvia.
Lukashenko is famously recognized as the final dictator in Europe.
Additionally, it includes the titles of Nobel Prize recipients Svetlana Alexievich, JM Coetzee, and Herta Mueller, along with 19 others who have received the award in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, and economics.
The resolution urges governments of all nations to implement measures that limit Lukashenko’s regime due to consistent violations of labor and union rights.
We urge politicians, influential figures, and all individuals who wish for the greater good to back our civil movement to free political detainees in Belarus. It emphasizes that the fate of numerous blameless citizens relies on your stance and, most importantly, your commitment.
Earlier this month, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, stated that she had not received any communication from her imprisoned husband Syarhey Tsikhanouski in a year. She noted that he was being kept in isolation, which she considers a type of torture.
In 2020, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, who used to be an English teacher, was imprisoned after declaring her candidacy to run against Lukashenko in the presidential election. Lukashenko reportedly won with 80% of the vote. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya sought refuge in Lithuania after the election and has remained in exile there.
According to Human Rights Watch, numerous individuals including activists, journalists, lawyers, political opponents, and others are being held in prison in Belarus under false accusations and are subjected to mistreatment while in custody.
Source: independent.co.uk
