Belarusian diplomats urge to stop politicising human rights issues
In a speech delivered at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on July 3rd, the diplomats of Belarus’ permanent mission commented on the statement of a number of Western countries on pardoning prisoners in Belarus read out by the head of the German delegation, sb.by reports with reference to Belarus’ Foreign Ministry
“The fact that Western delegations have put this issue on the agenda of today's meeting and continue to manipulate human rights issues did not surprise us. We were rather struck by the tactlessness of the German delegation, which decided to raise this issue on July 3rd, the main holiday of the Belarusian statehood. Independence Day is celebrated in Belarus today [July 3rd], and this date is sacred to every Belarusian, because it is timed to coincide with the day of the liberation of our capital, Minsk, from the Nazi invaders and the end of the occupation of Belarus by German Nazism during the Great Patriotic War,” the diplomats said.
They added, “The head of the German delegation has repeatedly said at the Permanent Council meetings that Germany recognises historical responsibility for the crimes of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, and she assured us that Berlin continues to make efforts today to preserve the memory of those events and to support victims of German aggression and their descendants. Meanwhile, today, the German representative eloquently showed us the price of these assurances and how cynically Berlin is using today's current political differences with Belarus as a reason or excuse for the German authorities to abandon their historical responsibility to our country and its citizens. Every time we hear about the intention of the German authorities to make the Bundeswehr ‘the strongest conventional army in Europe’, we will not tire of recalling the lessons of the last world war and the historical responsibility of the German people for the crimes of Nazism on our land. Therefore, today it would be much more appropriate for the representative of Germany to repent for the crimes of German Nazism, rather than trying once again to exaggerate far-fetched problems and continue the line of pressure on undesirable countries.”
In their speech, the Belarusian diplomats resolutely rejected false messages and fabrications that distort the real state of affairs, “As for the issue raised today, the Belarusian delegation has repeatedly presented its position on it and drew the attention of colleagues that there are no so-called ‘political’ articles in the Belarusian criminal legislation, and any attempts to present persons who have committed specific violations of the national legislation of Belarus as ‘political prisoners’ are clearly far-fetched and inappropriate.”
On the eve of Independence Day, the President of Belarus pardoned sixteen convicts who had committed various crimes, including extremist ones. Among them were eight women and the same number of men. Three of those pardoned are over 50 years old, two have chronic diseases, one is disabled. Nine convicts have minor children. Every pardon is a sign of mercy, a chance to return to a normal life and become a law-abiding citizen of the country.
The Foreign Ministry’s representatives once again stressed that Western pressure on Belarus in this context is counterproductive and exacerbates the existing contradictions. The Belarusian diplomats urged their colleagues to abandon the manipulation of human rights issues and to take a balanced approach to the analysis of the processes taking place in the republic. In their speech, they noted, “Actually, recent events have shown that any politicisation of human rights issues is a path to nowhere. What leads to a really meaningful practical effect is not staged shows, one of which we have witnessed today, but classical ‘quiet’ diplomacy and a professional and mutually respectful dialogue on issues of mutual interest.”
In the end of their speech, the diplomats of Belarus’ permanent mission drew the attention of those present to the extent to which what is happening corresponds to the current style of diplomacy in a number of European countries: the one who does the least, speaks louder than others.
