Maximal pressure on dictatorship - no talks with Lukashenka

European Parliament/News, Norweig:Aftenposten/Aliaksandr Atroshchankau

No talks with Lukashenka:
 "Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime that “fakes voting results and throws people to prison and tortures them for their political views”. Egeland is convinced that Oslo and Brussels must adhere to the politics of maximal pressure on dictatorship. (Charter 97/Aftenposten)

"Finally, they (EU) condemn the continuous persecution of human rights defenders and members of the democratic opposition and the harassment of civil society activists and the independent media in Belarus for political reasons and demand the unconditional immediate release of all political prisoners." (European Parliament News)

"Arrangements with Lukashenka mean nothing. A dialogue must be carried out under particular conditions. There must always be a threat of imposing sanctions, also economic ones, if agreements are not fulfilled." Aliaksandr Atroshchankau

 EU (on Egypt, Belarus and Japan):

"Parliament expresses its strong support for reforms leading to democracy in Egypt, and deplores the loss of life in recent clashes in Port Said, in a resolution adopted on Thursday. In two other resolutions, MEPs reiterate their strong commitment to abolition of the death penalty, with special reference to Belarus and Japan.

Recent developments in Egypt

In a resolution on recent developments in Egypt, MEPs express their solidarity with the Egyptian people in this crucial period of democratic transition in the country and calls on the Egyptian authorities to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They underline their strong support for reforms leading to the establishment of democracy, and stress the importance of holding free, fair and transparent elections.

Parliament deplores the considerable loss of life and the high number of injuries in Port Said on 1 February 2012, where at least 74 people were killed and hundreds more were injured after clashes broke out at a football match, and expresses its concern about accusations that the clashes were politically motivated. MEPs therefore call on the Egyptian authorities to initiate an independent investigation of the events in order to bring those responsible to justice.

The situation of NGOs in Egypt is alarming, say  MEPs, who call for the criminal charges against NGOs and political foundations to be dropped immediately. They welcome the release of imprisoned bloggers Alaa Abd El-Fattah and Maikel Nabil Sanad, and repeat their call to the Egyptian authorities to guarantee that no blogger, journalist or human rights defender will be subject to direct or indirect harassment or intimidation in the country.

Death penalty in Belarus

The use of death penalty in Belarus is condemned in another resolution highlighting the death sentences handed down to Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou by the Supreme Court on 30 November 2011. It urges Alyaksandr Lukashenka to pardon both men and to impose a moratorium on all death sentences and executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty from the penal system. The two men were sentenced for allegedly committing terrorist attacks in 2005, 2008 and 2011 in Vitebsk and Minsk, but according to reports by human rights organisations (FIDH, Human Rights Watch), there are arguments showing that the trial was unfair and that the investigation was marred by serious human rights abuses.The executions of the two may be carried out very soon.

Underlining that this "irreversible, cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment, which violates the right to life", is unacceptable, MEPs deplore the continuing failure of the Belarusian authorities to take any tangible steps towards abolishing the death penalty or imposing an immediate moratorium on it. They reiterate that the European Union and other international institutions have repeatedly urged the Belarusian authorities to abolish the death penalty.

Finally, they condemn the continuous persecution of human rights defenders and members of the democratic opposition and the harassment of civil society activists and the independent media in Belarus for political reasons and demand the unconditional immediate release of all political prisoners.

Belarus remains the only country in Europe that imposes the death penalty and still carries out executions.

Death penalty in Japan

In a resolution on the death penalty in Japan, MEPs urgently call on the Japanese Minister of Justice, Toshio Ogawa, not to approve any execution order in the future. According to press reports, Ogawa had announced that he did not wish to continue his predecessor's policy of "caution".

MEPs also call on Japan to sustain its efforts towards returning to the de facto moratorium in place from November 1989 to March 1993 and to encourage to a public debate on the use of capital punishment in the country.

2011 was the first year without any execution in Japan since 1992. Some 130 persons sentenced to death in Japan are currently on death row.

16.2.2012
Human rights - Situation in Egypt and death penalty in Belarus and Japan/EU

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pressroom/content/20120216IPR38357/html/Human-rights-situation-in-Egypt-and-death-penalty-in-Belarus-and-Japan

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2012/2/17/48165/

Norwegian government appeals: No talks with Lukashenka

"The cause for the appeal was a recent article in Aftenposten newspaper criticizing agreements between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Oslo conducts the negotiations on behalf of the EFTA, an organization which members besides Norway include three non-EU states – Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Famous human rights defenders and public figures appeared in the newspaper calling on the country's government not to hold any talks with Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime that “fakes voting results and throws people to prison and tortures them for their political views”.
According to Norwegian media, the issue was discussed on Thursday at a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission for fForeign Affairs and Defence with participation of the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. According to observers, the debate was the start of the discussion on further cooperation with Belarus.

“We need an updated and stronger strategy on Belarus,” the commission chair Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide said. She called Belarus “the last dictatorship of Europe” and added the living standards of the people of Belarus had only been declining in the past year. She criticized the position of the country's Foreign Minister concerning the agreements between the EFTA and Minsk.

Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke in favour of free trade with Belarus, because the country is a member of the Customs Union, an important partner for the EFTA. The Norwegian Foreign Minister is confident the agreements with Minsk may become a channel for Norway to convey critical messages to the Belarusian authorities.
As noted by MP and coordinator of the Progress Party Morten Høglund, “politicians should take care to prevent agreements on free trade with Belarus from serving other purposes”.

http://charter97.org/en/news/2012/2/7/47730/

Aftenposten: EFTA should not cooperate with Belarusian dictator

Norway is alarmed by the Norwegian government’s connections with Belarus.

An article in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten criticizes the agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. In the negotiations over the agreement, the EFTA is represented by Oslo.

The newspaper posted a photograph of Norway’s Industry and Trade Minister Trond Giske (second from the left) drinking champagne with Belarus’ Trade Minister Nikolay Snopkov (first from the right), Russia’s Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina and Switzerland’s Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann. The photo was taken in early 2012 in Genève during the negotiations over the agreement on free trade zone between then Customs Union members and the EFTA. The next round of negotiations is to take place in November in Minsk.

According to Aftenposten, Norway should not hold any talks with Aliaksandar Lukashenka’s regime that fakes voting results and throws people to prison and tortures them for their political views.

The newspaper cites Iryna Khalip, the wife of presidential candidate and political prisoner Andrei Sannikov. When she saw her husband for the first time after several months that he spent in the Vitsiebsk prison, she said “he looks like he has spent ten years in Stalin concentration camps.”

Aftenposten also reminds about the harsh confinement conditions of another presidential candidate, Mikola Statkevich.

“The situation with the human rights in Belarus has aggravated since the last year, and we are ready to broaden the sanctions,” an EU diplomat told Aftenposten. It is reported that the EU Foreign Ministers may intensify the sanctions against the Belarusian regime on 27 February.

Meanwhile chief of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch Jan Egeland expressed his astonishment about the fact that his country represents the EFTA in the talks with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan where mass human rights violations are reported on a regular basis. “For example, in Russia the opposition is systematically suppressed, there is neither freedom of speech nor freedom of associations, and Belarus is even called Europe’s last dictatorship.”

“This is a problem, because any cooperation in trade is a signal of willingness to establish tighter contacts with the country,” Jan Egeland emphasized.

Egeland is convinced that Oslo and Brussels must adhere to the politics of maximal pressure on dictatorship.

The Norwegian powers in their turn assert that ”clear statements on human rights” will be added to the free trade agreement. But Aftenposten journalists have thoroughly studied the protocols of the negotiations commission talks and have not found the expression “human rights” at all.
Ulf Sverdrup, the director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), said that “it seems that Oslo is signing an agreement on free trade while the EU is broadening the sanctions.”
“The question is, can the EFTA continue the talks in general?” the Norwegian expert points out.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that initially the EFTA has signed a crucial – especially for Norway – agreement with Russia. After the establishment of the Customs Union Moscow demanded that further negotiations should include Minsk and Astana, and Oslo agreed to the demands.
“If everything goes smoothly, the deal will be made next year,” Aftenposten’s sources from the trade authorities remarked.
An interesting fact: in accordance with the agreement terms Norway negotiates both with the entire Customs Union at once and with each country separately.
According to Ulf Sverdrup, “since some of these agreements imply lower social standards than in the EU, doing so the EFTA hopes to obtain a competition bonus in the EU.”
The EFTA was founded in 1960 in order to create a free trade zone. Later the countries that formed or joined the EU left the EFTA. Today the EFTA consists of four countries that are not EU members: Norway, Switzerland, Island and Lichtenstein.

Charter 97

Aliaksandr Atroshchankau: 

“If the Belarusian regime really intended to hold a dialogue, political prisoners would have been released yesterday. Arrangements with Lukashenka mean nothing. A dialogue must be carried out under particular conditions. There must always be a threat of imposing sanctions, also economic ones, if agreements are not fulfilled.
Lukashenka is weak now due to the oncoming Russian election. It's not clear how the Belarus-Russia relations will develop. That's why the dictator tries to demonstrate his success in the western direction. It's necessary to demand the regime to stop repression and release political prisoners as well as reform the whole political system,” Alyaksandr Atroishchankau said in an interview to charter97.org.

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2012/2/10/47874/