Cichanoŭskaja adviser: authorities do not see sanctions as strong enough to make concessions
December 23, BPN. The authorities in Minsk do not yet feel that the threat of sanctions is strong enough to make concessions, said Franak Viačorka, a senior advisor to Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.
In his Telegram channel, he said that in “recent decades, political prisoners have been released mostly under pressure.”
“When [Deputy Assistant Secretary of State] David Kramer came to Minsk [in 2007] and threatened powerful US sanctions, political prisoners were released within months,” the advisor to the opposition leader said.
Speaking about the current situation with political prisoners, Viačorka said that since August 2020, “all available mechanisms” have been used and “many attempts have been made to get them released or have any kind of dialogue on the issue.” In particular, “certain attempts” were made by Special Envoy Kent Harstedt during the Swedish OSCE presidency, but nothing came of it. In addition, UN officials handed over humanitarian release lists.
“Several European ambassadors who continue to work in Minsk personally met with [the now deceased Foreign Minister Uładzimir] Makiej on the subject. A PACE representative continues to communicate with the foreign ministry in order to get them released or at least start this process,” Viačorka said.
He said the Swiss Center for Humanitarian Dialogue has been trying to hold “consultations on the release of political prisoners” in Minsk for two years, to no avail.
- Elections, PoliticsCEC head dismisses personal sanctions as ineffectiveThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsPaźniak urges West to negotiate political prisoners' release with MinskThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsDefense ministry: army equipped with 90 new items last yearThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja to discuss regional security in Brussels tomorrowThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsOpposition leader: regime uses hostages to put pressure on western neighborsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsNGO network forwards evidence of Łukašenka’s crimes to ICCThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsJailed Babaryka Jr to stand another trialThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- PoliticsReprisals: two Belarusians convicted for disrupting Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsNGOs attempted a coup in 2020 – Belarusian ambassador claimsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyGeorgia did not satisfy a single asylum request from Belarusians in 2019–2024The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityBelarus reports death of a foreigner at Latvian borderThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyBelarus officials, entrepreneurs discussing ways to improve business conditionsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SocietyGovernment brands 30 people as extremistsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsUkraine's outgoing envoy: democratic change possible in Belarus after Russia's defeatThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, SecurityBiełaruski Hajun shuts down after security breachThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja asks Albania to use UN to help Belarusian political prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarusians net sellers of foreign currency in JanuaryThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus’ foreign exchange reserves up 4.6 percent in JanuaryThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsOpposition, Pact of Free Cities agree on self-government training for BelarusiansThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyOfficials boast expanding cell service coverage in 2024The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Elections, Politics
- EconomyGovernment cuts export duties on selected oil products by 60 percentThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsReprisals: data breach of opposition chat fuels evacuation requestsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- EconomyRussia’s Lada outsells China's Geely in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+