Why are Belarus officials allowed in Europe?
On March 29, the conference discussed the freedom of association in the OSCE region, of which Belarus is a part.
The topic remains very acute in Belarus, where non-governmental organizations are shut down or have to go through a lot of red tape and spend good money in order to get registered. Even after having paid their registration fees, NGOs cannot be guaranteed that a secret ideology commission at the Office of the President grants them registration permission. Human rights non-governmental groups have been routinely denied registration for several years, as a matter of principle.
In Vienna, the Belarusian delegation comprises both the officials and the representatives of civil society.
The official delegation also includes Aleg Slizeuski, the Ministry of Justice’s chief of public associations department, who has been banned from traveling to EU and U.S. for his role in the crashing of the civil society in this country.
Talking in Vienna, Mr. Slizeuski praised the efficient growth of civil society in Belarus, mentioning over 2000 registered public associations and 17 political parties and a huge number of trade unions.
His words were definitely argued. But, the question remains: why did the blacklisted Belarusian official receive a vise and travel to Vienna?
Human rights lawyer Alena Tankacova, who is taking part in the conference, has a double vision of this situation.
“In my view, if the travel restriction decision has been taken, there should be constituency in its implementation,” she said.
Alena Tankacova has been very surprised with the decision of Germany, which currently holds the EU Presidency and must oversee the implementation of EU resolutions and yet gives a visa to Aleg Slizeuski.
“At the same time, it was useful to have him personally here. It was difficult for him to avoid questions about the role of his agency in closing down the subjects of civil society,” Alena Tanckacova added.
Janusz Onyszkiewicz, the Foreign Affairs Committee Vice Chairman in the European Parliament, was also very surprised with the news that the banned Belarusian official was taking part in the conference in Vienna.
“I am very surprised! I feel ashamed! I thought that the European Union worked more efficient as regards the implementation of its resolutions. I am disappointed. Effort should be taken to change this situations and make an inquiry so that it would not be repeated again,” he told the European Radio for Belarus.
Aliaksej Janukievic, the deputy chairman of the Party of the Belarusian Popular Front, has received our news less emotionally.
“We are observing an alarming tendency. For the sake of restoring contacts with the government in Belarus, the European Union is reducing its demands to the regime, which was articulated in the EU’s appeal to the Belarusian people last November,” he said.
Aliaksej Janukievic is worried that poor implementation of the EU’s resolutions could have grave consequences for the development of democracy in Belarus, because the most important conditions like the release of political prisoners have not yet been met.
“We would like the European Union to have a more responsible and serious approach to the strategic issue of a possible dialogue with the Belarusian authorities and its Belarus policy in general,” Janukievic said.
It is unclear when the European Union will display its serious approach in this matter. Otherwise, Europe’s solidarity and support to our country looks surprising. On the one hand, EU supports the Belarusian organizations, which are denied official registration. On the other hand, officials that close down or deny registration to those organizations can smoothly travel to Europe.
A Belarus minister, who Europe suspects had a hand in the disappearances of people and denies him entry, can also travel there freely.
