Posts Tagged ‘Belarus’
Polish? German? Dangerous?
Posted by: Maryna Rakhlei in EU on February 22nd, 2010
There are not that many people whose shoes I would never like to try on. But one of them is definitely Belarus foreign minister Martynau.
Think of a highly educated person able to fill large shoes. But, Martynau’s function is actually limited to promoting foreign trade. Foreign policy is drafted in the administration of the president. The foreign affairs chief serves as a postman to deliver messages to/from Lukashenka and as a whipping boy during international scandals.
How would a minister explain the newest escalating conflict with the Polish minority? On Friday (February 12) Martynau was in Warsaw to meet his Polish counterpart and to receive a letter to the Belarusian president with a list of proposals what Poland could do, if the Belarusian authorities don’t stop harassing the minority.
Since 2005 there are two Unions of Poles in existance. The head of the government-approved one, who won non-competitive elections, is rumoured not to speak any Polish at all, the head of the unofficial one, Angelika Borys, is supported by Warsaw.
The “reply” to the Polish letter came right the following Monday (February 15): some 40 Polish minority activists were detained, several immediately faced trial for organising a demonstration a week ago. Borys got a fine of 1 million Belarusian roubles (some €250).
The day after HR Ashton raised her eyebrows about the conflict (February 17), the detentions continued. Are Belarusian Poles so destructive and dangerous?
Who you gonna call? “Hello, Mr Martynau, could you please explain us what …is going on?”
HR Ashton said today (February 22) she would hope to talk to Minister Matrynov about the situation with the Polish minority during presidential inauguration in Kiev on Thursday.
There could be a dozen of unofficial explanations of the status quo: the need of Minsk to take in hand the independent Polish union, to gain full control a year before presidential elections and show everyone who is the boss with a victorious fight against an assumed “enemy.” It could also be Minsk’s way of showing how disillusioned it is with the slow thaw of bilateral relations with the EU. It might be the two wings of power within the regime in dispute over which way to go – East or West? Some Polish experts tend to think it’s Russian PM Putin putting pressure on the EU to see how far it is willing to step into Polish and Russian strategic interests in the region.
Now the concert of German Rammstein is about to be forbidden: The Council on Morals fears that it will destroy nothing less than Belarusian statehood and identity.
Mr Martynau, is the system really so fragile?
Patriotic and/or Critical
Posted by: Maryna Rakhlei in EU on January 21st, 2010
Lately, I am more often asked why I am not patriotic. But I am.
It’s a strange notion anyway: Loving the country where you where randomly born and being loyal to this country is pretty irrational. But it’s something you can’t help doing. The rational part of it involves questioning everything, in particular government policies and actions, which is followed by criticism or praise. Criticism and/or praise out of love and loyality.
Patriotism, for me, involves paying attention and taking action, having obligations and rights. Being a part of something, you are responsible for the whole.
As a Belarusian I have always followed events in neighbouring Ukraine, and recently, ever more closely. Ukraine and Moldova are the only two post-Soviet countries to increase the power of the parliament over the president, the only two which are not afraid of a change of power. Look at Kiev and Chisinau! “Chaos,” would you say? “Possibilities” is my first thought, “no fear of change” is my second.
Orange Revolution leader Viktor Yushchenko won by a slender majority five years ago and now, with his miserable 5 percent of votes, he will depart without transferring power to an appointed successor as has become traditional in this part of Europe. Moreover, Kiev’s foreign policy won’t suffer any substantial changes. And society seems to accept this, even if it considers the elections to be a choice between lesser evils.
And that’s patriotism for me: Having your point of view and having your say, making decisions with both your heart and your mind.
Life, I Love You!
Posted by: Maryna Rakhlei in EU on October 15th, 2009
Interesting to follow the efforts of Europe (EU, CoE) to prevent the execution of two Belarusians. They were sentenced to death for alleged murders.
Usually Minsk and Brussels discuss free speech and freedom of assembly, now it’s time for the right to life. Now Europe is on the mission to save the murderers.
Actually Belarusian authorities consider the right to life and human dignity to be the most important. And with life everything is more or less clear: according to Amnesty International annually 1-3 people are convicted to death in Belarus. With the right you can never be sure: Belarusian Themis and her woman’s reason is sometimes difficult to follow.
For instance Vasil Yuzepchuk, who has two previous convictions, allegedly strangled six old women while his accomplice was holding them. Five of the victims were more than 70 old. He was also found guilty of assault and robbery and got capital sentence.
Yuzepchuk’s lawyer argues that the investigation and trial were fundamentally flawed, and that his client was beaten in detention. He says, Yuzepchuk belongs to the marginalised Roma ethnic group, doesn’t have an internal passport, is illiterate and does not know the months of the year.
But there’s a different very well known case. Three men and a woman killed a man from their village Pukhavichy. They stalked their victim for several hours before attacking him with axes and killing him with blows to the head. They set the body on fire and then went to a cafe to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The suspects were released from pre-trial detention after less than a month by order of the President Lukashenka. Moreover, the Belarusian leader told Supreme Court Chairman to sympathise with them. “The victim was a villain, terrorised people, the entire village,” Mr. Lukashenka said. “If the men took that step, they probably were angered indeed and all ordinary people are on their side.”
In April three men and a woman were found guilty of premeditated murder and got unprecedentedly lenient sentences. Two men got 3 and 5 years in prison under the Criminal Code’s article, which provides for a prison term of between eight and 25 years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty. The rest received 2 years restricted freedom.
Then President Lukashenka has pardoned those who got prison sentences, the third guy was amnestied…
That’s why it’s impossible to say if the EU efforts to save two convicts could be successful. As all people are equal but some are still a tiny bit more equal.
… aaand I did it again 
I wanted to write something positive! Probably next time.
I’ll finish with a famous Soviet song performed by a Belarusian babushka — babulya. The hit goes like that: “Life, I love you, and I hope it’s not all on one side”.
Russian Bread Crumbs
Posted by: Maryna Rakhlei in EU on May 29th, 2009
It’s very likely that from now on the movement of Belarusian authorities towards Brussels’ requirements will be even more visible. The Belarusian president was furious about yesterdays’ remarks of the Russian finance minister Alexei Kudrin who publicly cast doubt on the Belarus’ ability to default on its debt by the end of the year due to the dire state of economy. He warned it was too early to say whether Belarus would receive any further loans from Moscow.
“The future of Belarus can no longer depend on Russia… The days of Minsk bowing down to Moscow are over… Belarus needs to look for its happiness on a different part of the planet.”– announced Lukashenka. And underlined that he was saying this in public consciously.
The escapade came a day after his talks with the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Minsk. Putin who travelled together with Kudrin played a “good cop” and expressed hope that Belarusian-Russian trade kept increasing in the period of the global crisis.
Lukashenka in contrast expressed outrage that Kudrin’s comments had been agreed with Putin and commented that the Russian minister had also fully consolidated with the Belarusian opposition which lived on Western grants and tried to teach the authorities to work. (That’s probably the worst you can say about someone: he is with the opposition!)
The stakes according to Lukashenka are high: “If we don’t stand tall… we are going to be running in a sweat to the right and the left in the hope that someone is going to throw us a piece of bread from the table.”
He mentioned no alternative to Russia. But we have two strong neighbours. And if we don’t bow down to Russia, the movement towards EU could become more visible. The problem is that this visibility is nothing new. So there’s little hope this movement is going to be more effective this time.
Project Belarus Inside-Out
Posted by: Maryna Rakhlei in EU on May 26th, 2009
Call for authors, artists, journalists, photographers from Belarus, Germany, Czech Republic and other CEE countries
Deadline: June 11. 2009
For more information contact: belarusATplotki.net
PLOTKI magazine, youth portal Generation.by, and citizen journalism platform iBelarus.net are looking for authors, artists, photographers and journalists with an interest in exploring Belarusian life from the inside.
Aim of the international project “Belarus Inside-Out” is to investigate, critically approach and creatively disclose the various aspects of Belarusian reality through the exchange of ideas between Belarusian and non-Belarusian counterparts.
Young authors, artists, photographers and journalists from Belarus, Germany, Czech Republic and other Central and Eastern European countries are invited to contribute creatively to an attempt of making Belarus more understandable to the international public.
*Project description*
Until recently Belarus has been often seen as a country stuck in the Soviet past. Today the EU officials consider the possibility of establishing a dialog with “the last European dictatorship”, which in its turn is studiously hiding the Belarusian realities behind the facades and proclamations very much reminding those of the Soviet era. Behind them one can find a unique culture, unique problems and unique people who are still in search of their own unique identity.
Together the participants will analyse the variety of socio-cultural dimensions of Belarusian everyday life; turn inside out the old stereotypes and create the new ones; they will look for a unique image of Belarus and spread it around.
*Project realisation*
The core of the project is a 10 days seminar which will take place in Belarus from the 14th to the 23rd of August 2009. It will consist of two parts: the workshop and the research trip. The gathered material will later be compiled in a bilingual publication, which will be distributed in the CEE countries. In January 2010 all project outcomes will be presented at release event in Berlin where the participants will meet once more.
*Topics*
There are various aspects of a socio-cultural life and countless topics connected to each of it: from the phenomenon of the generation “Y” to the immigration of youth, from the tragic consequences of Chernobyl disaster to the unique natural wonders, from the co-existence of the various religious confessions to the life of sexual minorities. The project plans to explore the interesting, little-known, controversial, provocative and exciting sides of the Belarusian day-to-day life. All ideas are welcomed.
EUROveni EUROvidi EUROvici
Posted by: Maryna Rakhlei in EU on May 12th, 2009
Eurovision is too pop and not very euro anyway. Every year the whole Belarus watches its best participant to struggle hard to be among the first from the end.
They say this year we double our chances as there are two Belarusians: Petr Elfimov and Alexander Rybak from Norway.
Rybak was born in Minsk, migrated to Norway with his family at the age of five and has never been in Belarus since then. He may consider himself to be whatsoever: Belarusian, Russian, as that’s the mother tongue of his parents, or Norwegian, it’s a very subjective thing. But I don’t see anything Belarusian about him.
Rybak seems to be open, positive, outright and independent-minded. Belarusians are usually too serious about life, their occupations, their victories and losses. They take themselves too seriously. They live once and need to have everything right. They find suffering to be an integral part of their existence.
Moreover, Rybak is a “product” of a different society. I am not sure he would be able to achieve the same success in Belarus. The only thing Minsk and Oslo could have in common is a wee number of sunny days. So if this Norwegian boy wins (as most bookmakers say) that would be a well-deserved victory of Norway.
… the funny point is: Rybak’s father looks like a twin brother of Belarusian president Lukashenka… 
