Letter regarding the situation of the Association of Poles in Belarus

Following a several-year-long ruthless police crack-down – which even included cases of resorting to murder on political grounds – on the Belarus political opposition and the Belarus non-governmental organizations, including the Belarus Helsinki Committee, the regime of Alexander Lukashenko decided to once again “normalize” the non-government organization representing the interest of the Polish national minority that mainly inhabits the country’s western regions (oblasti).

The problem of the Association of Poles in Belarus is getting more serious since March 2005 when there were new authorities elected in the democratic elections which replaced the former authorities subordinate to the president Lukashenko.

The results of the free democratic elections within the Association, which were not agreed upon with the authorities, came under attack from the regime. The authorities’ response to this lack of “subordination” to the regime on the part of the non-governmental organization was the use of repressive measures against the Association’s newly elected authorities. They consisted in a refusal to officially register the new authorities and to grant access to the Association’s headquarters to the representatives of those authorities, including the Chairwoman Mrs. Andzelika Borys. The state authorities also took over and eliminated the Association’s organ: the weekly “Glos znad Niemna”.

These actions intensified during the previous week as three of the Association’s activists were arrested for a period of 10 to 15 days for organizing the allegedly illegal rally on 3 July 2005. In reality the situation concerned a concert that was supposed to be organized at the so called Polish House in Szczuczyn near Grodno. However, because the House was closed down by the authorities, the event took place outside the building.

On the evening of Wednesday the 27 July, the police and the Belarus security service forced their way into the headquarters of the Association of Poles in Grodno and escorted out over a dozen activists, including Chairwoman Andzelika Borys, Belarusian journalists  and two journalists of the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. They were then transported to the Lenin District Internal Affairs Office in Grodno, where they were interrogated along with the journalists of the Belarusian independent media. Following the interrogation, the police released two journalists and activists, however on the morning of 28 July the security organs resumed their interrogation of Chairwoman Andzelika Borys.

After removing the activists from the Association’s headquarters on 27 July, the building of the Association of Poles in Grodno was occupied by the Association’s former authorities, submissive to the regime. The pro-regime activists were escorted there by the police.

Through the media the Lukashenko regime in Belarus delivers a false image of events to the society presenting the situation as a conflict between Poland and Belarus, when in fact we are dealing with a violation of human rights, especially the freedom of assembly and association, as well as freedom of speech with reference to one of the last independent, non-governmental organizations in Belarus. This is another one of the Belarusian authorities’ measures aimed at stifling all manifestations of the independent civil society’s activity in this country.

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Poland approaches the International Helsinki Federation requesting that it lodges a firm protest to President Alexander Lukashenko against the current Soviet-like actions and all national Helsinki committees acting within the confines of the Federation asking them to provide support to the individuals under persecution.

On behalf of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Board,

Danuta Przywara – Vice-President of the Board

Andrzej Rzepliñski  – Secretary of the Board