Human Rights Adviser Calls Belarus Executions 'Fear Tactic'
An adviser for the Institute of Human Rights and former MP, Silver Meikar, condemned the execution of two men in connection to the 2011 terrorist attack in a Minsk subway.
Meikar said the executions were a desperate attempt to perpetuate to the power of President Alexander Lukashenka in the eyes of the world and his citizens.
"With the executions, Lukashenka wanted to strike fear in his people, who now know that a defiance of power will be met with the most extreme tactics," Meikar told uudised.err.ee.
According to the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Policy Research, about half of Belarussians don't believe the men were guilty, the human rights adviser said. Although it cannot be ruled out that the two 26-year-olds who were put to death last week were somehow connected to the subway bombing, Meikar said the hasty convictions and executions were undemocratic, condoned by the international mainstream and leaders of EU countries.
The testimonies of the men, the main evidence against the them, were obtained through torture, Meikar said, and one of the testimonies was later revoked in court. Now, events will likely lead to harsher sanctions against the country, he said.
"Countries that value human rights and democratic values need to take measures to show that the subsequent inhumane activities in Belarus will not go unpunished,” said Meikar.
Due to tightening sanctions and the isolation of Belarus from Europe, the country is increasingly in the sphere of Russian control. “To a large degree, Belarussian economy and the welfare of its people are no longer influenced by decisions made in Minsk, but in Moscow. Lukashenka is trying to show that the country is in his iron grip, but in reality he has become a puppet of the Kremlin. And for that reason European countries must also hold the Russian president and prime minister responsible for what goes on in Belarus,” said Meikar.
Vladislav Kovalyov and Dmitry Konovalov, both 26 years old, were convicted last November of the bomb attack that killed 15 people and wounded more than 300.
However, activists and the European Union condemned the executions. On Monday, demonstrations took place at Belarussian embassies around the world, as well as at the site of the subway attack and at the home of Vladislav Kovalyov.
According to human rights reports, nearly 300 people have been executed in Belarus after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Ott Tammik