Lukashenka Regime, Backed By Big Brother Russia, Accuses Democratic Opposition Of Not Graciously Accepting Rigged Presidential Vote

"Instead of accepting the rival’s victory in a civilized way and appreciating the people’s choice, the Belarusian opposition counted on an artificial outburst of emotions in the streets acting beyond the legal field, the information department of the Russian foreign ministry said in a report connected with the events of March 25 in Belarus characterized by the Russian foreign ministry as an "unsuccessful attempt to resort to the tactic applied by oppositions during presidential polls in certain other CIS countries".

The report points out that Moscow is closely watching the situation in Belarus and the international response to the events including to those on March 25 when leaders of the Belarusian opposition Alexander Milinkevich and Alexander Kozulin organized another unauthorized rally in the center of Minsk. It is clear that the opposition attempted to provoke violent actions on the part of the authorities to trigger a new wave of criticism in the West against the Belarusian government, the Russian foreign ministry says.

"The course of the events revealed that the Belarusian authorities, seeking not to aggravate the situation, did not hamper the rally until it was peaceful. But the situation changed as calls on coup were voiced from the crowd and a part of the demonstrators headed on to the militia station with violent intentions. In a bid to prevent unlawful actions the law enforcement bodies had to detain certain participants of that unauthorized rally", the Russian foreign ministry reports.

Certain Russian citizens have come to be involved in the Minsk events, the foreign ministry points out. Some of them were also detained and exposed to administrative punishments. The embassy of Russia in Belarus is taking all necessary measures to ensure their prompt release and help them return home, the report runs.

"The belligerent actions and calls on violence and seizure of administrative buildings were not supported by a significant part of the opposition members. Anyway, the events in Belarus should be legally treated in an unbiased manner since the matter involved is not only the freedom of expression of political views but also law, order and people’s security", the Russian foreign ministry says.

The Russian foreign ministry stresses that there can be no doubts as to the duty of any authority to protect the constitutional order in the country. "Doubtfully European powers would argue about that including those which often witness even bigger protests. Meanwhile they express wrathful accusations and by far not always just criticism against the actions of the Belarusian authorities", the report runs."

Belarusian Telegraph Agency "Russian foreign ministry: Belarusian opposition acts beyond legal field" March 29, 2006 12:09

http://www.belta.by/en/news/politics?id=85355

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MOSCOW, March 28 — "The European Union and the United States are considering personal sanctions against more than 40 officials and state journalists in Belarus for their roles in election rigging and crackdowns on civil society there, according to Western diplomats and government officials.

A list of officials under consideration includes not only President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko and his top staff but also government ministers and security officials, as well as prosecutors and judges involved in trying antigovernment demonstrators and sentencing them to jail.

The European Union and the United States announced an intention to pursue punitive sanctions immediately after Mr. Lukashenko's landslide re-election victory on March 19, which the West and the opposition have denounced as a sham." ...


C. J. Chivers "U.S. and Europeans Consider Sanctions Against 40 Belarus Aides" New York Times, March 29, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/29/
international/europe/29belarus.html


List of 42 Belarusian Officials accused by the E.U. and U.S. of engaging in election fraud, cracking down on civil society activities (arrests, detentions, harassment etc.), and deliberately spreading openly false information (representatives of major mass media and ideology services who have used the media as a propaganda tool for the Belarusian president):

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/text/
international/SanctionRec.doc













Lukashenka seeks to merge his military and police forces with those of the neighboring Russian Federation.

Photo credit: Associated Press Sergei Grits With thanks.