In the course of the last 10 days 3 political prisoners were released, several politically motivated criminal cases were closed, “Young Front” activists got fined and not jailed, not a single person was arrested for his political actions. All this is being ruled by the same judges, who showed no mercy just a month ago, throwing people into prisons for disseminating leaflets.
There are rumours, that Mrs. Piatkevich (Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Admnistration of Belarus) has stiken a deal with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs David Kramer (
(Photo source) during his last visit to Belarus in the end of February. Mrs. Piatkevich asked Mr. Kramer about an informal meeting in one of Minsk cafes. Mr. Kramer, although highly critical of the present political regime, has accepted her proposal. All the details of the meeting were never made public. According to some rumors, Kramer demanded that all political prisoners in Belarus should be set free before June, 10. On 21 June European Union will decide whether Belarus will be banned fro the General system of trade preferences (read more about it here). Allegedly, if Belarus releases the prisoners, then USA and its European allies will block the decision, highly unfavorable for the Belarusian government. One won’t have to wait too long in order to see, how far this game will go.
We shall not be fooled. The political prisoners are released not because the regime has suddenly acknowledged the people’s right to express political opinions or to stick to the national culture. Not because it has renounced its monopoly of power. All this is nothing but a spoof, aimed at maintaining the financial preferences, the consumers’ joy, so that the economic stability could further support the repressive system. Moreover, the Belarusian state propaganda is using the situation in order to slander the dissidents by calling them Western agents. It all reminds of the times of German Democratic Republic, which sold its political prisoners to Western Germany. In order to increase the propagandistic effect, two criminals were bundled to each political prisoner “shipped” over the Western German border.
The release of political prisoners goes side by side with new repressions. Juras Aleynik, top student of the President’s Academy of Management, has been expelled for his political views. There will be no true justice in this country, until the repressive and propagandistic apparatus of the “ideological vertical” is dismantled.
