Zmitser Bandarenka: “Amoral policy can’t do good for people”

• 23.06.2009, 14:44

The coordinator of the civil campaign “European Belarus” welcomes a refusal of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to restore the Special Guest status of the Belarusian “house of representatives”.

“There are Belaruses – a dictatorial and a people’s ones. Dictatorial Belarus gains more from contacts with Europe today. People doesn’t have anything from these contacts. The most active part of the society – the political opposition – only loses. Our friend Mikalai Autukhovich is dying in prison, but the authorities forget about this in restoring the special guest status in the Council of Europe. Amoral policy can’t do good for people.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, unlike Javier Solana, drew attention to human rights at meetings, including meetings with Lukashenka and Martynau. The regime, however, manages to simulate liberalization and democratization without real changes in lives of ordinary Belarusians,” Zmitser Bandarenka told in an interview to Radio Svaboda.

He told the Charter’97 press center commenting on the PACE’s decision to restore the special guest status of Belarus for a year only after the capital punishment is abolished.

“I am happy that the Council of Europe’s Parliament demonstrated its principal position and the Belarusian parliament restored in PACE. In my view, a great role in this process belongs to brave friend of Belarus Christos Pourgourides.”