Estonian MP: European officials shouldn’t forget about kidnappings in Belarus
- 19.08.2009, 13:56
Silver Meikar, an Estonian MP representing the Reform Party, head of the Association in Defence of Democratic Development of Belarus, says one should adhere to principles in a dialogue with Lukashenka.
Silver Meikar wrote about this in his article on website Delfi.
As the Estonian MP wrote, Europe, that used to be an opponent of the Europe’s last dictator for a long time, has convinced in practice that isolation of the Belarusian regime has no prospects. Lukashenka was able to hold his power with Russia’s help. Then the EU chose another way – a dialogue, the way of re-education of the dictator.
The first success inspired European officials, but I have an impression that they begin to forget the democratic principles, fundamental for the EU, chasing the result. 12 EU conditions for Belarus necessary for beginning of relations normalizing are forgotten. None of these conditions was fulfilled, and Belarus-EU dialogue is being conducted without them.
One of 12 conditions said that the Belarusian regime should organize proper investigation of disappeared people.
A group disappearance of well-known politicians and journalists, opponents of the government, is always a great scandal, followed by loud investigations and trials. Four serious opponents of the Belarusian ruler disappeared in Belarus during a year. They are politicians Yury Zakharanka and Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski, and journalist working for Russian TV Zmitser Zavadski. If these disappearances hadn’t provoked such a scandal, there would have been far more missing people and more families without fathers and sons,” the Estonian MP thinks.
August 30 is coming. It is the international day of the disappeared, and by a strange confluence of circumstances, the birthday of the Belarusian ruler.
“I don’t have a hope that Lukashenka celebrating his 55th birthday will remember about the families of his opponents that remained without relatives. But I hope European officials won’t forget about them,” Silver Meikar said.