Ireland must take a strong line on Belarus – Ward

Ireland must take a strongly critical line on authoritarian Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko, who is clinging to power after an election that has been described as “neither free nor fair” by the EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs & Security Policy, Fine Gael Senator Barry Ward has said.

Senator Ward said, “Since 2000, I have visited Belarus on a number of occasions and have many friends and colleagues there. Democracy is something we tend to take for granted in Ireland, but I have seen how Belarussians live in a society that is tightly controlled by the government, even though it is on the borders of the European Union. Belarussians know all too well what it is to live in a society in which freedom of speech and other democratic rights are restricted.

“This week’s presidential election purportedly returned an 80.23% vote for Mr Lukashenko, despite polling showing the opposition leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, on over 70% in some areas.

“The EU has acknowledged that there was a “demonstrated the desire for democratic change” from the people of Belarus, but public opinion has been met with armed riot police, rubber bullets, batons, violence and arrests. Following an attempt on her life, Ms Tikhanovskaya, who replaced her jailed husband on the ballot, has now gone into hiding in Lithuania.

“The people’s anger at this whitewash was obvious immediately after the results were released and there have now been days of rioting and public disorder on the streets of Minsk and other cities.

“The “disproportionate and unacceptable violence” at the hands of the Belarus state authorities has caused at least one death (according to the EU High Representative and established Belarussian human rights organisation, Viasna, although this is denied by the Belarus Ministry of the Interior) and many injuries, and the subsequent civil unrest has resulted in hundreds of arrests, injuries and property damage.

“Ireland is in a unique position to speak out about these abuses. We have a strong diplomatic reputation and, more importantly, we have credibility in the region.

“There are many connections between Ireland and Belarus, and we must use those links to make our position clear: that elections must be free and fair, that human rights must be upheld, and that the democratic will of the people must be respected.

“I would like to be able to reassure friends and colleagues in Belarus that Ireland is doing everything it can to bring international pressure to bear on a regime and to help to bring about the government that the Belarussian people want and deserve”, he concluded.

ENDS