Freitag, 3. März 2006
Eine lange Polarnacht verhindern: Freiheit für Weissrussland
Wir Europäer haben immer noch einen Diktator, ein Überbleibsel von der Soviet Union, vor unserer Haustüre. Wieso ihn ganz Europa vergessen hat ist eine schmerzende Frage. Wieso viele Europäer viel eher für die palästinensische Freiheit von Juden zu begeistern sind als für ihre unfreien Nachbarn liesse sicherlich viel Raum für viel Polemik.
Der Diktator und amtierende »Präsident« Lukashenko kam 1994 in den letzten freien Wahlen an die Macht. Eine seiner ersten Amtshandlungen war das gesamte demokratisch Parlament zu entlassen und die Verfassung zurechtzustutzen. Später holte er die Fahne der weissrussischen, sovietischen Republik zurück. Nach und nach wurden Oppositionelle eingeschüchtert, mundtot gemacht und verhaftet. Seinen Höhepunkt fand dies 1999 als die berühmte Oppositionsfigur Gennady Karpenko einfach so verschwand. Einen Monat später traf dasselbe Schicksal den ehemaligen Innenminister Yuri Zakharchenko, dessen Fehler gewesen war, enge Kontakte zur Opposition gehabt zu haben. Im September des Jahres verschwand Anatoly Krasovsky, ein prominenter Demokratieunterstützer und Buisnessman. Dmitry Zavadsky, ein bekannter Journalist, verschwand im Jahr darauf als ein Bericht von ihm die Vermutung aufstellte, Weissrussland hätte tschetschenischen Separatisten geholfen. Heute gibt es so gut wie keine freie Presse mehr, zahlreiche Journalisten sind im Gefängnis, die protestantische Minderheit darf ihren Glauben nicht frei ausüben, eine Versammlungsfreiheit existeirt nicht mehr, viele Vertreter von Gruppierungen, die für Freiheit einstehen sitzen im Gefängnis oder die Organisationen existieren gar nicht mehr und die vom K.G.B. - ja, auch diesen Apparat hat Lukashenko wieder heruasgeholt - beschattete Opposition hat keine Chance gewählt zu werden, da die Abstimmungsresulte im Vorhinein feststehen. Heute hielt »Präsident« Lukashenko eine Rede wie man sie nur aus der Soviet Union kennt. Er bezeichnete die Opposition als »Feinde unserer Gesellschaft und unseres Volkes« und kündigte an sie nach den Wahlen »auf harte Weise zu entschärfen.«
Was tut die Welt? US-Präsident Bush traf sich mit den Witwen von Zavadsky und Krasovsky, welche die Organisation »We Remember« repräsentieren, die Gerechtigkeit für die Verschleppten und Ermordeten fordert. Gleichzeitig kündigte die US-Regierung an, der Regierung von Lukashenko »das Leben ein bisschen schwerer zu machen« falls die Wahlen nicht frei und fair sein werden. Und sie werden es nicht sein. Wieso sollten sie? 14 Jahre danach. Um Lukashenko selbst zu zitieren: »Was könnt ihr machen? Ihr werdet mich wählen!« Die polnische Regierung finanziert Radio Racja (pol.: Recht, Vernunft), das seine Ursprünge in der Solidarnosc-Bewegung findet, um Freiheit und Demokratie in Weissrussland zu unterstützen und um der weissrussischen Bevölkerung eine Möglichkeit zu geben, an nicht-staatliche Informationen zu kommen. Die EU startete kurz darauf das Radio Baltic Waves mit dem Ziel unabhängige Nachrichten nach Weissrussland zu senden. Russland dagegen erkennt einen lupenreinen Demokraten, wenn es einen sieht: Der russische Aussenminister warnte den Westen sich nicht einzumischen und auch sonst können sie in Weissrussland keine Probleme erkennen.
Und was tun die Weissrussen? Die demokratische Opposition hat das Problem sehr gut erkannt: Angst. Sie hat auch erkannt - und Lukashenko bestätigte das heute - dass dies die letzte Chance für Demokratie ist. »Wenn wir nicht auf die Strassen gehen, dann wird eine lange Polarnacht über Weissrussland fallen,« sagt der Kandidat der Opposition, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, den im Herbst nur jede vierte Person kannte. Heute sind es drei von vieren dank einer sehr mühsamen, gefährlichen Kampagne, bei der die Aktivisten von Tür zu Tür gingen und versuchten den Leuten die Angst zu nehmen. Eine Strategie, die sie mit Hilfe eines Strategen der Bush/Cheney 2004-Kampagne herausgearbeitet haben. An ein Wunder glaubt niemand. Die Wahlkommission wird Lukashenko mit über 75% (kleinere Zahlen mag er angeblich nicht) zum Sieger erklären. In diesem Falle werden die Aktivisten auf die Strassen gehen. Insgesamt sollen rund 15% der Bevölkerung willig sein auf die Strassen zu gehen, das sind anderthalb Millionen Menschen. Es soll mindestens 15′000 bis 25′000 junge Aktivisten geben, die bereit sind, den ersten Schritt zu machen, der dann den Rest ermutigen soll.
Ab dann liegt die Verantwortung bei der EU, den USA, den Medien. Sie werden sicherstellen müssen, dass Lukashenko den Aufstand nicht mit brutaler Gewalt unterdrückt.
Auf zur Revolution! Der Denim-Revolution, übrigens.
- Steven Lee Myres: Bringing Down Europe’s Last Ex-Soviet Dictator. New York Times Magazine
- Aleh Panamarou: Why you should care about Belarus freedom. The Enquirer
- Post-Soviet Belarus: A Timeline. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Freitag, 3. März 2006, 23:51
Greg - danke, dass Du dieses Problem ansprichst! Danke auch für die umfangreichen Informationen zum Thema. Ich hoffe es funktioniert wie in der Ukraine.
Samstag, 4. März 2006, 19:13
Neue Infos zum Thema.
Samstag, 11. März 2006, 19:32
[...] New European (de) von Greg Grabinski, dieser Post ging bereits durch die Blogosphäre [...]
Donnerstag, 30. März 2006, 21:54
folgende Augenzeugenberichte habe ich von “Seventh Side” erhalten, die homepage http://www.seventhside.org/ erreiche ich nicht….
The week after the elections in Belarus – protests and demonstrations in Minsk
Eyewitnesses – reports
Ekaterina, participant at the protest camp, teacher:
The tent camp was surrounded by state observers. The authorities wanted to make an end to the protest camp through famishment, coldness and the impossibility to go to the toilet – it was like the blockade of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). The police and the military arrested everybody who went to the camp place with bags – because they carried water, food, thermos flasks and warm cloths. When these people had luck only the bags were taken away. In the worst case they were sent to prison for 10 days! But despite of that, the people were inventive – they hanged sausages over their bodies, they dressed with several pullovers, to take them off at the camp. Outsiders could have notice that there is an unusual high amount of corpulent people near the camp. One of these people tried even to bring one transportable toilet, but he was beaten severely. Afterwards he had no face anymore – just bloody pieces of skin. I remember one old woman, who wanted to bring us some sugar – more than sugar she could not afford with her pension. She was caught by “men in black”, they found sugar with her and then they forcefully fed her with this sugar. She screamed: “No, I cannot eat sugar I’m a diabetic”. Some > started to laugh and shouted: “Now you will know, (abusing word), what it means to come here with sugar. (abusing word) go away!” Somehow she could escape and she brought us half of the sugar packet, the other half was littered on the street.
Denis, participant at the protest camp, student:
What impressed me the most? One young woman, about 27 years old, a lonely mother with two children – one is three years old, the other four – she came to the comp and took people from the camp with her, to get them out of the camp. She has also got me out of this camp: like that we went, one of her son on her arms and the other one on my arms. She brought the most costly treasure in her life in danger, her children, to help us, to save us, the children of someone else.
Stephan, participant at the protest camp:
All together there was no one who drank. The people, who came to the camp, were ready to die for their opinions – nobody was in doubt that Lukashenka was able to give the command to shoot at the people. And in this situation, can there be any mood for drinking? But regularly some > appeared – we called them like that – young men with bear-bottles, who tried to get into the camp. And one meter beside of them there was the camera of – let us say – the Belarus Television. We didn’t let them in, everybody shouted: “Go away, you devil-servants!” Everybody laughed and that was the only way we could send them away.
Leonid Petrowitch, worker:
They gave 12 days in prison to my daughter for just being in the camp. One policeman told me before the court: “When she will start crying and begging for excuse, then we will immediately let her go.” Who cried got only four days of arrest – these days which they have spend in prison already. But her they gave 12 days. She did not cry. And after the court I went to the October Place – to that place, where so many days my daughter stayed in a tent-town, in the coldness, in the streets. She was there for her beliefs, for her convictions. There was no camp any more but it wasn’t hard to find this place. People brought flowers to this place, where there were once 35 tents. The men of the special force of police took the flowers away ant spurned them or threw them away. Can it be that flowers are also dangerous for the authorities?
Svetlana Iwaniwna, mother of one participant at the protest camp, in pension:
Several people disappeared without any message on the 25th March. Relatives cannot find them. Crying mothers are standing for days in front of the walls of the prisons, holding signboards: “I’m looking for my son”. Or: “Please help me to find my daughter.” And they are bringing food and warm cloths to someone’s children in hope that someone’s other mother will give food to their children.
Maxim, doctor in an ambulance vehicle:
I am surprised, as a medic, about the scenes in the television showing wounded police and men of the special force of police. They evoke assumptions of lies about what happened with the men of special force of police, while they were forcefully dissolving the protest meeting: 1) despite of being allegedly wounded accurately, effusions and others wounds would be visible. But there was no drop of blood. Behind the iodine stained on the head there were no wounds to see. It was clear that the scars which were medicated, were old ones, they were light ant no hair is growing on that spot. There is no blood and no other indices of recent injuring. 2) In their fighting-wear it cannot be that they have been wounded so severely. To get the nose broken, the protesters had first to break the safety glass of the fighting-wear. The hit had to be so impossible strong and furthermore I can assume that if the glass would have been broken faces of these men would have been injured by the glass shards. And more improbably is that the leg of the policemen was broken. The leg was shown within a temporary splint and not in cast. When a wounded comes to a hospital, before he is brought to a sick room, some radiograms are made, the splint would be taken off and the leg would be put in cast. Thus, when the leg of one of these policemen would be really broken one would see his leg in cast, or in bondage, when there is no severe infraction or there is no infraction at all. 3) It is strange also that all the men of the special force of police and other policemen have been in one sick room. Usually one with the nose broken would be send to other hospital sections then one with a leg broken and with head injuries e.g. one would be send to surgery or to neurology. It’s all just a lie.
Paul, student:
Yesterday the television of Belarus started a hysteric campaign because some of the protesters have attacked the reporter of Belarus Television with snow balls during the protest meeting. Well, I was there and I have seen everything with my own eyes. And yes, on the 25th or March people were throwing snow balls on the television-reporting team. I have also seen that one young man could not resist kicking the reporter in the back. In the scene of Belarus Television it was told that the reporter got the diagnosis: concussion. It’s interesting where is the brain of this Belarus Television reporter, that to get a concussion it is enough to kick him in his back?
Olga Michailowna, in pension:
My grandson was put into prison for 10 days because he wanted to bring a thermos flask with tea to the camp. He is a student in the 5th term. In former times I used to argue with him – he was against Lukashenka, I supported Lukashenka. But now I even don’t know in which prison he is kept. He just could call me: “Grandmother, don’t worry, I’m arrested.” But why – because of the hot tea for freezing people? I went to a shop and bought there a new thermos flask. I filled it with tea and went to the October Place – and then I understood. My grandson was right. This cannot be a good government, sending people to prison because of a thermos flask with tea. My grandson – he is not a criminal. Criminals are those who put him in jail. Why Lukashenka is so afraid to loose his power? In other countries other Presidents are not as much afraid to go. It seems to me, that he robbed a lot, that he did so much wrong, that he is afraid now that the truth will be discovered as soon as he will leave. Because otherwise, when he is an honorable man and not a theft, what is he afraid of? - A thermos flask with tea in the hands of my grandson?
Irena, participant at the protest camp:
In a van we were beaten cruelly, we were insulted, our mobiles were spurned. One woman was smashed up so severely, that she could nothing remember but her name. In front of the jail on remand we were kept until the morning, outside in the freeze, with the face towards the wall. To the toilet only those people were brought who had their pass with them. The police even didn’t conceal that they had no place for the arrested. The authorities announced that the courts have to work on Saturday. Every accused was placed with the face towards the wall to prevent him to see the faces of those people who judged over them and the special force of police told the judge how they have arrested and kept the accused persons. Of course they lied. The lawsuits of the participants on the protest meetings were held as follows: “Family name?” – “Iwanow” – “15 days arrest. The next one!” About such things I’ve only red in books – about fascists. There were many women kept, especially elder women. At the same time televisions lied that every woman was released. The Belarus televisions lied only: with pleasure they have told about drunken youth who have fun at the October Place and who wanted to pick a fight. They have shown one > of a young drunken man who tried to pick a fight but this man was recognized as a member of the Belarus Television.
Jury Wassiliewitch, a jobless:
We got the idea to go to the prison to claim the release of the arrested. There was a disciplined group going, stopping at every traffic light. The cars hooted giving us a sign of their solidarity. There were people leaving the busses and trams joining us. On the street Dserdshinskowo we met some special force of police. First they only hit with their bats against their shields. And the people exclaimed: “We are not afraid!” Then the special force of police attacked us. After the first attack, it was really scarring. It was clear that there was no escape. And first it was only a noise grenade. But then the special force of police didn’t use only noise grenades but also tear gas and they beat the people cruelly. There were wounded lying on the streets. People said there have been dead, but the police took their bodies away. When busses of the special force of police passed by, the people were screaming: “Murderer!” “Fascists!” Immediately two of these busses stopped and the special force of police men started to break the crowd up. Some vans came. The people were smashed up and pushed into the vans, also Alexander Kosilina. Until now nobody knows what happened with him, where he is, if he is alive…
Maria Iwanowna, lecturer:
I am a lecturer in the Technical College of Minsk, department Nr.8. They took some students out of their lectures at 12pm and brought them to the meeting of BRSM (Belarusian Union of Youth, pro-Lukashenka), in front of the USA embassy in Minsk. All the students are underage. One week before we, as lecturers signed a paper where we were forbidden to take part at meetings of the opposition. It is worth to remind that every action in those days, held in front of the embassies of EU-countries and USA were not censured. Their participants demonstrated at command of the BRSM against the policy of the EU and USA regarding their relation to the dictator of the Belarus Regime. Why they are allowed without any consequences to offend the embassies is clear. In Belarus only those are arrested who are engaging for freedom and justice in their own country.
Alexander, participant at the protest camp:
Since morning there was a circle of pensioned people – those, who are against Lukashenka. Thanks to these grandmothers and grandfathers, they have protected us. But there were also full busses of opponents. Some raged pensioned people ran out of these busses and were filmed by the Belarus Television. Their eyes – rage, mindless rage. They screamed: “How much have they paid for you all standing here?” But are there people who are ready to die for money? Idiocy! The people were there for ideas, without any hidden, false mind. Why didn’t these pensioned people screamed how much Lukashenka has paid – from our pockets – to all these reporters of Belarus Televisions and other Belarus medias, how much he spends for the salaries of the special force of police men, of the police, special army forces, secret service (KGB) and for all the arrests and not for sure known assassinations. And how costly were the concerts >? I don’t belief that international stars are such fans of Lukashenka, that they performed for free – isn’t it probably that they have received enough of money for this show? And the commissions, which get > for >? And where does he get the money from? From our pockets!
The father of Andrei:
Every day I pray for those people who were standing there at the October Place. I’m convinced that those who are responsible for those smashing ups, provocations and arresting of inculpable people will have to give responses to the population and especially to God. In the television they are telling that at the October Place there is a meeting of drug addicts. But are there any attestations that drugs were found in the blood of this particular person – of just one person who participated at the protest camp? I’m sure that there are no such things; otherwise they would show these documents 24 hours in the television. So why lying that there are only drug addicts? I’m sure that the so called addicted have titles as professors and mandate as president contestants. And in general, it’s surprising that the police didn’t find at the October Place together with syringes and porno magazines, some bombs, tanks, packets. It seems they didn’t look properly.
Freitag, 28. April 2006, 14:28
[...] Milinkevich, Gesicht der Opposition in Weissrussland, wurde verhaftet. Europa sollte auf den Strassen sein! Ich denke wir sollten eine Kundgebungung organisieren. Hätte jemand Interesse daran? Und wüsste jemand wie man so etwas halbwegs professionell organisiert? [...]