Joint Statement by ALDE, ALDE-PACE, ELDR and Liberal International on sitution after elections in Belarus

January 13, 2011

Liberals in Europe and worldwide have closed ranks to make a strong call upon the Belarusian government to release all journalists, opposition candidates and civil society representatives who face continued detention.
For liberal parties and their representatives in the European and national parliaments the brutal repression of the peaceful demonstrations following the presidential elections on 19 December 2010 is completely unacceptable...

European liberals deeply concerned by developments in Belarus and Russia
Press Release, ELDR, January 10, 2010

The liberal forces of Europe strongly deplore the dismal developments on human rights in parts of Europe during the past couple of weeks. Beginning with Belarus; what could be perceived on the outset as slight progress in allowing several candidates to run against Aleksander Lukashenko in the Presidential elections soon turned into the direct opposite...

Moving on to Russia; not only are there fundamental reasons to question the sentence of Mikhail Khodorkovsky to an additional six years of imprisonment - but European Liberals are also critical of the current state of human rights and freedom of assembly in Russia. The day after the Khodorkovsky sentence, opposition party leader Boris Nemtsov was detained together with 130 others in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and had to spend 15 days in prison for "disobedience of police", a token sentence that runs against the right of freedom of speech and assembly, one of the cornerstones of the European system which is also deeply embedded in the statutes of the Council of Europe, to which Russia is member...

See also:

The YUKOS case

Freedom of Assembly

Pickets in support of Byelorussian opposition held in St.Petersburg

Press Release, January 6, 2011

A series of one-person pickets against the actions of the Belarus authorities when hundreds of oppositional activists had been arrested after the election day was held in the centre of St.Petersburg on January 5, 2011. The activists held placards in support of the Byelorussian opposition and after the action the picketers went to the Consulate Department of Belarus so that to light candles in support of the arrested there. Alexander Astafyev, Russian journalist, who had been arrested by the Belarus author ities on December 19 also participated in the action.

About 600 people were arrested on the night after the presidential election in Belarus on December 19, 2010. Many of the detained were held under arrest for several days, including presidential candidates from the opposition and journalists...

All the detained must be immediately released!

Statement by the Chair of the YABLOKO party, January 3, 2011

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO condemns the actions by the authorities instigating the unjust rulings by the courts on holding Boris Nemtsov and other oppositional politicians (who participated in a permitted action on December 31) under arrest for many days. These decisions are unlawful and politically biased, and represent a disgrace to the police that fabricated the evidence as well as the courts of the first instance that went on a leash of the police.

This constitutes another attempt of ‘tightening up the screws’ in the very beginning of 2011 which demonstrates growth of panic in the Russian government resulting in political inadequacy. We demand that President Medvedev must adopt measures required for immediate release of all the detained and taking under control the Moscow police which has been discrediting the state power in the eyes of the Russian citizens and the world community...

YABLOKO demands from Byelorussian President Lukashenko to release all the detained on December 19-20

Press Release, December 31, 2010

The YABLOKO party demands from Byelorussian President Alexander Lukashenko to release all the detained in Minsk on December 19-20, 2010.

In its statement YABLOKO characterized presidential elections in Belarus as a political farce which had ended by demonstrative physical violence over thousands of people who had publically voiced their disagreement with the official results of the voting.

YABLOKO expressed much concern about the fate of those held arrested despite serious threat to their health. “We are calling you to maintain an absolutely different policy marked by releasing detained Russian citizens on December 29,” runs YABLOKO’s statement...

On the closure of the NTV correspondents' office in Belarus
Statement, The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO, July 8, 2003
The closure of the NTV television company correspondents' office in Belarus represents not only an action targeted at information isolation of the people of Belarus, but also another challenge to Russia from Lukashenko's regime.

Open Letter, January 16, 2003
Most respected Mr. President,
We are concerned about developments in the Republic of Belarus concerning Russian media. Broadcasts of Mayak (Ed. "Beacon"), Yunost (Ed. "Youth"), and Golos Rossii (Ed. "Voice of Russia") that have for many years constituted a key source of information for the citizens of Belarus, have been closed.

Russian politicians comment on Lukashenko's meeting with Putin
BelaPAN Information Company (Belarus). August 15, 2002
Minsk, 15 August. Russia's Rosbalt news agency interviewed Russian politicians on the eve of the August 14 meeting between Belarusian leader AlexanderLukashenko and President Vladimir Putin.

Sergei Ivanenko: Lukashenko’s victory will not strengthen the union between Russia and Belarus
Press release, September 10, 2001
The First Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma Sergei Ivanenko thinks that the victory of Alexander Lukashenko at presidential elections in Belarus will not strengthen the union between Russia and Belarus.

Did Lukashenko Win by Duping the People?
RosBusinessConsulting, September 10, 2001
The victory of Alexander Lukashenko results from his policies of duping the people. This is the opinion of the First Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma Sergei Ivanenko, expressed in an interview with RBC on the results of the presidential elections in Belarus on September 9, 2001.

Building on Stones Rather than Sand

The union between Russia and Byelorussia, Yabloko's position.

Yabloko has consistently advocated a union between Russia and Byelorussia. At the same time we have our differences with other political parties (the CPRF, "Our Home is Russia" and others) over the form and strategy of the integration of Russia and Byelorussia.

Union without Dictator

Yabloko advocates the integration of Russia and Byelarus, provided that the statehood and constitution of each of the two countries involved are preserved, that neither fraternal nation incurs any economic loss and human rights are constantly observed, pursuant to universally recognized principles and norms.

Interview of Grigory Yavlinsky for the "Zerkalo" (Mirror) TV Programme

Yavlinsky: You have already answered that question. Next day he agreed to meet and it is right that he agreed. I can understand Primakov's emotions in this situation with the President and people who work with the President, but a prominent politician must meet with the President. If he is critical or disagrees with the President, he must say so directly.