"Iron Curtain - 2"

[Детективное агентство Тула]

The President of Belarus officially confirmed to Russia Today the actual introduction of the Iron Curtain for political opponents in the country and explained why he was doing this.

Interviews, including those broadcast on Belarusian television, were given immediately after the European Union announced on Wednesday its intention to significantly expand the list of sanctions against Belarusian officials. It is expected that on Friday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, the list of Belarussian officials who are banned from entering Europe and frozen their accounts and assets will be expanded by another 12 people. Earlier, the EU imposed sanctions against 230 functionaries, who, according to Europeans, were involved in mass repressions of the opposition after the last presidential election in the republic.

Lukashenko made it clear that such moves by the West would cause counter-opposition. “As for“ they didn’t let out, ”today the European Union has adopted a list of so-called banned, where (including) your humble servant ... This list has been accepted from the filing of our“ fifth column ”, explained the Belarusian leader quoted by RIA Novosti “.

In response, those whom the president of the republic considers the “fifth column” will no longer be let out of the country.

“And then we have not yet entered it (the list of banned travel abroad), we have not yet entered it at full power. But introduce. It’s they (the opposition) who throw to the West names, organizations, enterprises and insist on the imposition of economic sanctions, ”Lukashenka’s metal thunders.

This week, the Belarusian authorities did not let out the ex-chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic Stanislav Shushkevich from the country to Lithuania, but later he still managed to get to Vilnius. Lukashenko explained why he does not feel reverence for this Belarusian politician.

“Shushkevich is now becoming a hero in the Russian Federation, almost every day on all channels. Just don’t forget that under Shushkevich all Russian people (in Belarus) were put on their suitcases, ”Lukashenko said. “They have already divided everyone: here is a Belarusian, a Russian, a Pole. And if not for the bad Lukashenko, then the Russians would have nothing to do in Belarus. You should not forget this just in case, ”he added. The Belarusian president recalled that Shushkevich had signed the Bialowieza Agreement, which had put an end to the USSR. “As for his policy, well, one act is enough when he and Kravchuk (the first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk“ Gazeta.Ru ”) insisted on Yeltsin’s collapse of the Soviet Union. This characterizes him enough. I know too much about Shushkevich, and one fact was enough for it to close for the rest of my life. But I didn’t do it and I won’t do it. ”

For the first time it became known that they were not allowed to travel abroad for political reasons, back in February, but the authorities of Belarus did not announce any official list. Oppositionist finds out that they are out of favor when he tries to pass border control. This week it became known that, in particular, the head of the United Civil Party, Anatoly Lebedko, the deputy chairman of the Just World party, Valery Ukhnallev, one of the leaders of the Vesna human rights center, Valentin Stefanovich, journalists Mikhail Yanchuk and Andrei Dynko can’t leave Belarus.

The Belarusian authorities are trying to find formal reasons not to leave. For example, Stefanovich and Lebedko are not released under the pretext of draft evasion, although Stefanovich’s draft age expired 12 years ago, and Lebedko more than 20 years ago. A criminal case was opened against Ukhnalev. Opposition politicians and human rights activists themselves promise to challenge bans on leaving the courts.

In an interview with Russia Today, Lukashenko also explained why he did not sign a decree to pardon Vladislav Kovalev and Dmitry Konovalov, convicted of organizing a terrorist attack in the Minsk metro on April 11, 2011. Both young men were shot last weekend, their defiant execution was a shock to Europeans. “This is pure criminality. Moreover, it is a catastrophic crime, forgiveness of which is not. I think that would be done in Russia and in other countries. Therefore, there is nothing to compare here, ”Lukashenko reasoned, having forgotten that in the fraternal republic, since 009, courts simply have no right to pronounce death sentences.

At the same time, the President of Belarus claims that a human decision was given to him very hard. “They often ask:“ What is the most difficult for you? ”I already said somehow publicly that the most difficult thing for me is to sign the corresponding decree on non-pardon. I forgave for the entire period, in my opinion, only one person. " “For me it was another tragedy in my life. But most of all I empathized with the parents of these people whom I can’t help. Alas, ”Lukashenko acted.

According to the Belarusian leader, he did not receive any requests from the EU to postpone the execution and he was not offered any diplomatic concessions from the West.

Source: [DLMURL] https://news.rambler.ru/13254128/ [/ DLMURL]

 

[Орлан]

Thank you for the article.

 

[Патрушев Михаил Владимирович]

Thank! That dad gives ...!
Hard!

 

[Детективное агентство. Инициатива. Самара.]

Thank. Lukashenko bends his line.

 

[Краев Евгений Леонидович]

And Old Man has a strong grip: mrgreen:

 

[Игорь Коракс]

Thank. With Old Man jokes are bad)))

 

[Симферополь]

The country is 10 million people: it shows to the West ... and the East - an example of what the West needs to be shown.

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

Thank.

 

[Частный детектив. Панда. Краснодар.]

Thank you, and Father is handsome!

 

[Детективное агентство Тула]

Conflict with the EU: "Sanctions give at least some chance to hit Lukashenko on the hands"

Alexander Lukashenko pretends to lower the curtain on Belarus, writes "Belarusian Partisan". He scares everyone, but he's really scared.

Opposition activists, public activists, journalists and just famous people who criticize the government for its stupidity and cruelty are not allowed to leave Belarus for Europe, the newspaper continues. The list of those who are not allowed to leave the country is updated every day. People are stopped right at the border, their passports are taken away or an important document is damaged by some secret notes. At the same time, none of the officials explains on what basis people are not allowed out of Belarus. All silently but unequivocally point to the top, that is, to the KGB and the presidential administration. Alexander Lukashenko recently threatened that those who call for sanctions against the Belarusian authorities will be banned from leaving the country. The Prosecutor General's Office scares people with articles from the Criminal Code in this regard. Apparently, Lukashenko began to implement the threats.

No one has seen the "black list" of oppositionists and journalists, the article says. It is obvious that the Belarusian special services want to quantitatively block the European list, which prohibits several hundred Belarusian officials from entering the territory of the European Union. Why do they do this? Do you really intend to lower the iron curtain over the country? It seems to me that there are more tactics than strategies here.

Now in Europe, negotiations on the introduction of additional economic sanctions against the Belarusian regime are entering an acute phase, writes "Belarusian Partisan". The time of persuasion is definitely over, there is a difficult discussion about the extent and scale of economic sanctions against Belarus. In May, they will return to discussing the issue of holding the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Minsk. There are just a couple of arguments missing to move the championship from Belarus to another country. Everything hangs in the balance. Lukashenko understands this and goes for a sharp aggravation of the situation. This tactic had saved him before.

The main argument of the opponents of economic sanctions is that it is not the rulers who suffer from the restrictions, but the subjects, the publication continues. European experts do not like to say that the ban on the purchase of petroleum products from Belarus will lead to an increase in the price of gasoline in Germany and Poland. They shift the focus of our attention to the fact that the sanctions will increase the suffering of the Belarusian people, will lead to a deterioration of the situation of the opposition. These are a typical argument. He is well known to everyone and has already filled his teeth.

By inflating the campaign against representatives of civil society, Lukashenko is playing along with his defenders in Europe, the article says. He gives the opponents of economic sanctions proof of their rightness. He draws pictures of what will happen after the introduction of sanctions in front of the Europeans. He scares everyone, but in fact, he's the one who's most scared. He is very worried about the fact that the World Hockey Championship will be taken away, and he will not be able to show off in the stands next to the legends of world hockey. He does not like that Western companies will be banned from working directly or indirectly with Belarusian enterprises. And he is terrified of a ban on the sale of petroleum products.

He escalates the situation and presses psychologically, writes "Belarusian Partisan". Previously, such tactics always worked and Europe retreated. Realizing that the sanctions, for example, will accelerate the transition of Belarus under the control of Russia. But times have changed. No one hopes for Lukashenko as a defender of the Belarusian sovereignty. Russia has openly stated its claims to Belarus and will seek full control over the neighboring territories at any cost.

Finally, Lukashenko is simply tired of European politicians, the publication continues. Moreover, Europe is rapidly moving away from the tactics of appeasing dictators and moving to the tactics of "forcing peace", as Medvedev once explained the military operation against Georgia. Now they will finish with the Syrian regime and go further down the list. Only fools do not understand that the Assad regime is coming to an end, as we were recently convinced of the inviolability of Gaddafi's power. The only obstacle to resolving the Belarusian issue now is a possible war with Iran. The conflict may be too large-scale and expensive. But in the future, it will not change the new European policy towards the official Minsk, which is gradually gaining momentum.

Belarusians have long been taken hostage by the Lukashenko regime, the article says. He plays with people's destinies shamelessly and shamelessly. And the sanctions give at least some chance to hit him on the hands. They give hope that the regime will fall, as the economic crisis of 2008 significantly undermined the electoral base of Lukashenko. It's hard for Belarusians. For some, it is painful. People are overwhelmed and overwhelmed by fear. They have lost their bearings, their faith in change, and the boundaries between how it should be in a normal country and how it is now are blurred. There is practically no strength left to resist, because there is no faith that someone will come to the rescue in a difficult moment. Belarusians need a signal, they need support. It is more weighty and clear than beautiful words about freedom and democracy, "Belarusian Partisan" sums up.

The list of banned politicians and public figures introduced by the Belarusian authorities has started to operate in Belarus, writes the Belarusian edition of Radio Liberty. In recent days, a dozen of them have not been allowed to cross the border - politicians Anatoly Lyabedzka, Sergey Kalyakin, Viktor Kornienko, journalists Andrey Dynko and Mikhail Yanchuk, BAJ Chairman Zhanna Litvina, human rights activists Andrey Bondarenko, Oleg Gulak, Valentin Stefanovich and Harry Pogonyailo. A few weeks ago, independent media reported that the authorities were considering such measures as part of a diplomatic war with the European Union.

The publication published the opinion of a number of experts - the head of the Gomel organization of the movement "For Freedom" Pyotr Kuznetsov, Russian journalist Viktor Dyatlikovich and German political scientist Martin Schoen-who expressed their attitude to the actions of the Belarusian authorities.

Kuznetsov: The main activity of civil society takes place in Belarus. So the list of those who are not allowed to leave is not able to disorganize the work, but it can complicate it. I myself was not allowed to travel for a year and a half in the recent past, but I could work. I hope that the appearance of this list will not affect the position of the European Union. Official Minsk has lost its leverage over the European Union in this situation. Therefore, he chose a terrorist tactic in which citizens become hostages of the regime. I want the European Union not to succumb to such blackmail.

Sean: We no longer live in a time when the travel ban really limits a person's ability to maintain their contacts. These people, or some of them, know this threat. The main thing for them is the ability to work without leaving. As for the European Union, in my opinion, these measures will not have an immediate effect. This equates them with the measures taken by the EU itself in relation to Belarus. Both the ban on the entry of Belarusian officials to the European Union and the ban on the departure of Belarusian civil servants and journalists to the West are symbolic measures taken as part of a diplomatic war, when one side must show the other that it is impossible to do so. This is not a boycott of Iranian oil, which concerns the viability of the country, these are symbolic steps that will not directly affect the EU's position.

About the role of Russia

Dyatlikovich: I still think that the Russian statements about the conflict between the official Minsk and the EU are mostly rhetoric. Putin, when he said that the sanctions against Belarus do not affect the Customs Union, was right - well, how can he be affected by visa sanctions against several hundred Belarusian officials? If Rogozin said that Russia would help Belarus, then he was saying what any Russian official is obliged to say. But here we are talking not only about the ban on the entry of Belarusian officials, but also about economic sanctions against Belarus from Europe. Putin and Rogozin talked about very different things. One spoke exclusively about banning representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to travel to the European Union, and the second was referring to the possibility of introducing tougher sanctions. The only way Russia can help its neighbor in this situation is to provide economic support to Belarus when Europe imposes economic sanctions. In short, these will be economic steps to support the Belarusian regime. Russia is simply unable to help Belarus in its relations with Europe in any other way.

Sean: It seems to me that Russia should somehow support Belarus in this situation, since it is its main ally. As for political support, it may be some statements, but Russia will not risk its relations with the European Union for Belarus. There is no need to wait for any real tough measures and statements in the direction of the European Union. Belarus is a country that plays a modest role for both Russia and the European Union in the geopolitical context. This explains both the not very strategically thought-out behavior of the European Union in relation to Belarus, and Russia's actions in this direction.

In anticipation of new EU sanctions against the official Minsk, it became known that 12 more people and 29 organizations could join the "black list", writes Solidarity. Political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky shared with the publication his thoughts on who can become the new persons involved in the EU list.
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