Op 19 januari heeft buitenland-coordinator Solana een officieel bezoek gebracht aan Wit-Rusland. Het bezoek begon met een gesprek met een delegatie van de oppositie. Aannwezig waren onder meer de voormalig politiek gevangene Alyaksandr Kazulin, leider van de “For Freedom” beweging Alyaksandr Milinkevich, voorzitter van Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak, econoom Pavel Danejka, en de voorzitter van het Belarusian Congress of the Democratic Trade Unions Alyaksandr Yarashuk.

Bron: www.charter97.org

At the meeting with Javier Solana, Alyaksandr Kazulin told about new political prisoners which have appeared in Belarus. Leaders of businessmen Mikalay Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka, as well as the “Young Front” activist Artsyom Dubski were arrested in Minsk recently. The politician has also told the EU High Representative about harsh disband of the oppositional rally of February 14 and on the Day of Belarusian Solidarity on February 16. During these rallies dozens of peaceful protesters were beaten up.

At the meeting the chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Zhanna Litvina described the situation with freedom of speech in Belarus.

“Firstly, I attracted attention of Mr Solana to the fact that the steps done by the Belarusian authorities towards Europe: holding round table discussions on the new law on mass media, cancelling of registration for online editions, return of the two independent Belarusian newspapers into the system of state distribution, – haven’t resulted in cardinal, radical change in the situation with mass media in Belarus.

I told that global problems remain the same still. The state monopoly on printed and electronic mass media remains unchanged. Belarusian state-run mass media perform a propaganda role. I told to Mr Solana that under such conditions a full dialogue cannot be conducted. They all put the brakes on the progress towards liberalization.

During the meeting I told that the blockade of independent mass media distribution should be stopped. We are greatly concerned by the law on counteraction to extremism and its application against Belarusian journalists. In the end of our meeting we gave Mr Solana the address on mass media situation in Belarus, written by the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

In his final word Javier Solana stated that the European Union would pay attention to the situation with freedom of speech and expression in Belarus,” Zhanna Litvina said in an interview to the Charter’97 press-centre.

Noot van de moderator: vertegenwoordigers van het Belarusian Helsinki Committee en de Belarusian Congress of the Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) waren op 16 september 2008 aanwezig bij het planten van de vier bomen in Eindhoven.