Yesterday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to a court decision in Belarus that handed out a 1-year suspended sentence to 20-year old demonstrator Anastasia Palazhanka, who was active in organising anti-government protests. She has been charged with “inciting civil unrest”.
The Ministry condemned the latest verdict and requested the Belarus’ ambassador Vladimir Serpikov to come to the ministry for talks.
The Belarus government was widely criticised for how it handled the protests, using extreme force and locking up innocent people and journalists, as well as presidential candidates at the time Vladimir Neklyayev and Vitali Rymashevsky.
The EU is getting tough with Belarus due to its abuse of human rights and lack of democracy, and further measures against Belarus will receive the full support of Slovakia, which has taken a strong stance to the situation, endorsing a resolution against the violent actions of the Belarus government.
At the end of March a special ceremony was held in Bratislava to call for the release of the political prisoners, with the attendance of dignitaries from Slovakia and Belarus.
Maybe you are not sure of the background to the Belarus thing, but they basically locked people up protesters, journalists and the opposition presidential candidate for expressing their democratic right to voice their opinion. It is not only Slovakia that is condemning the Belarus ‘government’, if you can call it that. It is the whole EU, the US and other countries. A finger of hypocrisy can be pointed at basically any government, but that does not absolve the rest for what they do.
Just for info:
http://www.tipnews.info/international/MjI1MA==/2011/05/14/belarus_politics_court_rights and related content
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/21/600-charged-belarus-protests-lukashenko
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funny how slovakia’s representatives think they have a say in everything while a clan of chimps could run their country with superior and more innovative outcomes.
Seems a bit trivial for the Slovak government to comment on unless she is to be shipped off to a forced labour camp, was her crime so serious, what were the detail. A public order offence receives a one year suspended sentence, big deal, she will have a great story for her grand kids, how she fought the good fight.
This type of reaction seems to be a trait not just in Slovak over reacting drawing circles to highlight the deeds of others while their own are questionable. Is it in the primitive hope that it will take the eye of their misdeeds. I wonder what th Belorussians think of Slovaks policies and actions or if in fact the even care?