German human rights activists: How Europe can cherish dictatorship and even finance it?
- 13.07.2009, 11:00
A human rights movement “Berliner Aktion “Demokratie in Europa” has addressed the leadership of Germany with a call to push for release of political prisoners in Belarus.
The human rights activists have sent a special address to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the general secretary of the CDU Ronald Pofalla, the leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) Guido Westerwelle, a deputy of the European parliament (Green Party) Cem Özdemir and the editorial office of Spiegel magazine.
A copy of the letter has been also sent to www.charter97.org website:
“Mikalai Autukhovich, a political prisoner in Belarus, is on hunger strike since April 16, 2009. He demands to hold a fair trial or final termination of investigation. The political prisoner has already lost 30 kilograms of weight, but he achieved no reaction from the authorities. Mikalai Autukhovich and two other businessmen were arrested on February 8, 2009, and since that time they are kept in the remand prison, and practically no investigation activities are carried out in their case. Almost every day solidarity rallies with the three political prisoners are held in Belarus, and its participants are arrested all the time.
On July 7 an activist of the oppositional youth organisation “Young Front” Artsyom Dubski, recognized by Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, was sentenced to a year of imprisonment again (judge Zhana Sharabajka, Asipovichy district court).
The German government shouldn’t keep silent any more. You must demand immediate release of political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich, Artsyom Dubski and other prisoners of conscience in Belarus.
How could it be that because of unclear political considerations a dictatorship is cherished and even financed near our threshold (the IMF has recently granted another tranche of a credit)?
Every day courageous people who seek Freedom, are tortured and imprisoned, they are brought to death, and we are observing it and continue to keep silent.
Please do everything possible, everything within your power to help these courageous people, who want nothing but to live in a democracy and without violence.
If we continue to be silent, soon we would have a European North Korea, and just in 1.5 hours of plane flight from the Federal capital, Berlin!
We greatly hope for Your support!”