Czech NGOs call for reconsideration of the invitation of Aleksandr Lukashenko to Prague EU Summit in May
News Source: DEMAS
PASOS supports appeal by Czech non-governmental organisations dedicated to protecting human rights in the world to Czech authorities to reconsider the invitation of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Prague.
DEMAS, Association for Democracy Assistance and Human Rights, has addressed an open letter (attached in Czech) to the Czech Prime Minister M. Topolanek, the Minister of Foreign Affairs K. Schwarzenberg and the Vice Prime Minister A. Vondra. Nine Czech non-governmental organisations dedicated to protecting human rights in the world have appealed to Czech authorities to reconsider the invitation of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Prague. The Summit will take place on 7 May 2009 and according to the recent statements of the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel Schwarzenberg, and a number of representatives of the European Commission, consideration is being given to extending an invitation to represent the Republic of Belarus to Alexander Lukashenko himself.
The civic organisations (see attached statement) call attention to the illegitimacy of the elections which sustain A. Lukashenko in his position of power and enable him to continue in repressions against independent initiatives and freedom in the country. Recently taken steps towards liberalisation of the regime remain merely cosmetic changes and do not bring any meaningful improvement of the situation on the ground. The authors demand that the Eastern Partnership should be presented and bring benefits not only to Belarusian authorities and officials, but to Belarusian society as a whole.
The signatories demand that Lukashenko’s invitation to participate in this important summit is acceptable only after very specific conditions, listed in the letter, have been met. These changes would secure the end of the most problematical forms of suppression of active citizens and could be easily carried out in a very short time.
The appeal was supported by the Czech Senate’s Commission on support of democracy around the world.
For further information:
Katerina Spacova, Civic Belarus, +420 739 053 319, katerina.spacova@civicbelarus.eu.
Sabina Dvorakova, DEMAS,
www.demas.cz
DEMAS-Dopis-K Schwarzenberg.pdf (2.46 MB)
LukashenkostatementENG.pdf (1,022.92 kB)
