Details

The brutal crackdown of peaceful protests after the presidential elections in Belarus came as a surprise to many people. Certainly, the three-month election campaign was staged to a great extent, and it had nothing to do with a sustainable democratization of the country. Still, even that limited and controlled freedom, which opened up there for a moment, was for many people a new, positive experience: it was associated with hope.

These hopes were destroyed during one night; Belarus was set back by years. People were beaten, hundreds were detained for days. It is expected that citizens will be fired because of their involvement in the protests, and students will be expelled from universities. Yet, Lukashenko has lost: it is not only the large number of participants in the protests on election night, but also the overwhelming support for the detainees that clearly show that people in the country turn away from the Lukashenko regime.

What people in Belarus need now is the political and practical solidarity. Konrad Adenauer Foundation has supported the activities of the opposition in Belarus for many years. "The Konrad Adenauer Foundation," said its Chairman Dr. Hans-Gert Poettering, MEP, President of the European Parliament ret., "is firmly on the side of democratic forces in Belarus for years. We strongly condemn the violation of democratic principles by the regime of Lukashenko and call for the observance of human rights."

Speakers:

• Dr. Hans-Gert Poettering, MEP, Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Former President of the European Parliament
• Dr. Aliaksandr Milinkevich, leader of the "For Freedom" Movement and winner of the Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament (2006)
• Andrei Dynko, chief editor of “Nasha Niva” Newspaper
• Iryna Vidanava, journalist and media activist, coordinator of a KAF-supported election monitoring project
• Dr. Valery Karbalevich, 1991 - 1995 Chairman of the United Civil Party, a political scientist and political commentator

Simultaneous interpreting from German into Russian and back will be provided during the press conference.