BRACTLAVA, 7 October (IPS) – While the Belarusian President Alexander Loekasjenko continues to grant political prisoners in an apparently increasingly successful attempt to improve the diplomatic relations with the US, law groups have warned that the international community should not be “misled” that the presence in the land in the land.
Loekashenko, who has been ruling Belarus for more than thirty years, ordered the release of more than 75 prisoners last month (Sep) after negotiations with American officials, the majority of whom are political prisoners.
But critics have said that although the release of prisoners is welcome, this should not be conceived as a sign that the prosecution of the opponents of the regime is about to stop. They point out that people in Belarus are imprisoned faster because of their politics than ever released.
“Although it is good that prisoners were released, they should never have been in prison at all. There is now the risk that the attention of the international community will be derived from the persistent repression in the country. There are still people in prison, and are still trapped because they exercise their human rights. While Loekashenko is more than a turnerer, he says Mary at the same time, he says Mary,” I. Mary is released. Guryeva, Senior Campaigner at that Amnesty International says to the IPS.
The warnings follow on the release on 11 September of 52 prisoners-of whom the majority were political prisoners-and the release on 16 September of another 25 prisoners from Belarusian prisons.
This came after direct negotiations with American officials and in exchange for a relaxation of sanctions against the Belarusian National Airline Belavia.
The releases were also followed by the confirmation of American officials involved in the negotiations that US President Donald Trump had told Loekashenko that Washington wants to reopen his embassy in Minsk. Earlier this summer, Trump also spoke with Loekashenko on the phone and reportedly even suggested that there could be a meeting between the two in the near future.
Political experts say that much closer ties between Washington and Minsk, not to mention a relaxation of the sanctions, would be a large PR state grip for Loekashenko. It could also be attractive for President Donald Trump, because it would underline his own praised letters of faith as a master mediator and defender of human rights, who can free political prisoners.
However, law activists fear that seeing such political profits from his deeds Loekashenko will only encourage prisoners to use prisoners as a “negotiating sheet” to enforce further political concessions in the future.
“It seems that this is a new tactic [by the Belarussian regime] to use political prisoners as negotiation trumps, [and] It seems to work because Belarus gets political favors for the release of prisoners. As long as the regime sees that it can use them as a negotiation trump, this policy will be continued, “says Anastasiia Kroupe, assistant researcher Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch.
Activists argue that possible concessions from the US or other Western countries will ultimately do nothing to the regime to improve the miserable situation of human rights violations in Belarus, especially given that there are still so many political prisoners in Wit-Russian prisons-the rights group Viasna said that 1.184 political prisoners in Wit-Owl. Belarus-That Loekashenko could release if that is appropriate.
They also point out that in some cases the individual releases in themselves were hardly a pardon, since many who were released had only been away from the end of their punishment for months or even weeks. As soon as they were ‘free’, the prisoners were also deported by violence-a politician, opposition politician Mikalai Statkevich, refused to leave Wit-Russia after he had been released and was arrested again shortly thereafter-to neighbor Lithuania.
“The fact that these prisoners were banned by forced is a further form of reprisal against them … For some, it is a continuation of their punishment,” said Kroupe.
Belarusian law activists tell IPS that the vote among the released and mixed.
While some were happy to be free, others were angry.
“A number of the released people are extremely frustrated. Some had literally only had only a month to go and were planning to continue living in Belarus. They had served their punishment almost completely, but instead of freedom they were punished again,” says Enira Bronitskaja, who is an activist of the Wit-Rechtsgroans in the Wit-Rechtsgroans in the Wit-Rechtsgroans in the Wit-Rechtsgroans in the Wit-Rechtsgroup in the Wit-Rechtsgroup. Belaruses.
“They were thrown out of their country; many of their passports were taken (torn), in fact stripped of their citizenship (robbed of documents, the land turned off, without the intention of the state of their citizenship to provide any support). These actions are illegal. People are robbed of everything they had in their family in the prison for the prison for the possibility of owners of the prison for the possibility of owners of the prison for the possibility of owners of the prison for the possibility of property in the possibility of owners of the prison for the possibility of owners of the prison for the possibility of owners of the prison for the possibility of owners of owners of the prison for the possibility of owners of the prison for the prison in the possibility of owners. were, “she added.
Others under the Belarusian community in exile say that they are concerned that the release could be used as a derivation of an even more intensive action against different opinions.
“In our community, some are hopeful that the release is a sign of successful negotiations, but the majority, including me, does not think the news is particularly positive. It is of course a great relief for the released people and their family members, but we are expecting intensification of repression,” says Maryna Morozova, who left Wit-Russia after Loekenland 2020 had launched a large -scale action against different opinions.
Just a few days after the 52 prisoners were released, a Belarusian court condemned the prominent independent journalist Ihar Ilyash to four years in prison for accusation of extremism following critical articles and comments on Loekashenko.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists said that the verdict was a sign that the authorities did not intend to mitigate their hard action against independent media, and pointed out that there are currently at least 27 journalists in the country behind bars.
The banned Belarusian opposition leader Sviatran Tsikhanouskaya told the international media after the releases in September that “the repression of the regime continues despite the supplications of Trump.”
Viasna pointed out that on the same day that the 52 prisoners were released, they had recognized eight new political prisoners.
Activists who spoke to the IPS said that it probably seemed that, given the apparent success of the release of prisoners in somewhat relieving international isolation and the sanctions of Belarus, more prisoners could be released in the near future.
“Of course we expect more releases. Loekashenko has been doing it for years-he did it in 2010 and 2015 when political prisoners were released. Loekashenko has a lot of experience on this” market, “Satsunkevich, interim board member at Viasna, to IPS. “In general, we can see that this is policy [of using prisoner releases to get political concessions] work. There are goals he tries to achieve [by using it]”She added.
In the meantime, campaigners are urging governments to focus on human rights, and not politics, in future negotiations on the release of prisoners.
“Everything has to be made to free political prisoners, but there must be a clear signal that violations of human rights are not forgotten and that no one is misled by thinking that the repression is over,” says Kroupe.
“Loekashenko treats political prisoners as political means of payment, as hostages. Governments must stop this assessment and forcing Loekasjenko to comply with human rights legislation and put pressure on him to release all political prisoners unconditionally,” Guryeva added.
*Name has changed for safety reasons
IPS UN office report
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