”We were shocked by the verdict. We are afraid. Vlad is not involved in this crime, they could shoot a completely innocent person, it is terrible. They lied about everything, what Fedartsov read today is not true to the preparatory stage . They turned everything into what they needed, they ignored entirely what the FSB (Russian security Service) said in their expert opinions, they failed to mention many details. They painted a picture of the guys like monsters, but they are not! We will do what we can … We will write to the president and ask him to pardon them. I’m so afraid of what will happen to my brother. I can’t talk more now. ” – Tatiana, sister of Vladislav Kavaliou, who was today sentenced to death in Belarus.

Sommerfeld calls for media to pay attention to the cases of Dmitry and Vladislav, to maybe influence the outcome of the sentence which will be outed in two days.

”We have two days to create a media outcry in the world to hopefully stop the court in Belarus from punishing the accused with death penalty. Regardless of their guilt, it’s not okay for a country in the middle of Europe to still actively use death penalty as punishment. When a life is taken, it will never return. We are fortunate to be born in a country with freedom of expression and press freedom. With freedom comes responsibility . So let’s focus the spotlight on ”Europe’s last dictatorship” and speak for the silenced,” Sommerfeld writes.

On Tuesday, Swedish Television reported about the revolution in Belarus, on the evening news ´Aktuellt´.

See the interview, in swedish, with Isabel Sommerfeld (Project Manager/Coordinator of Info Belarus) here: http://svtplay.se/v/2493904/aktuellt/2_8_21_00

“If the EU wants to take them, we will buy them a ticket and send them. No problem – take them! If they are such zealous supporters of political prisoners, we will pack them in a coach tomorrow. I will make a decision, as I have the right to make such decisions, and everyone, even those who were not imprisoned and moos on squares, everyone, whom they admire so much, will be loaded in a railway coach and sent to you”

Lukashenka told journalists on thursday about his proposal to deport the opposition and political prisoners, Interfax reports.

“I can give a plane, if they want this to be done quicker. We’ll send them in no time,” Lukashenka said.

 Read more at Charter 97.

Once again, thousands protested in Belarus on wednesday (29 of June) against the dictatorial regime. Through quiet protests in different cities all over the country, only clapping hands, people showed their disappointment with the current political and economical situation. And for clapping hands, people got brutally beaten and arrested.

As you can see on the video below, also journalists were arrested.

Read more about the protests:

The Independent

Radio Free Europe

Charter 97

RiaNovosti

Photos by Anton Motolko / www.antonmotolko.com

According to independent media, hundreds have been detained in Minsk today, where thousands gathered for silent protests against the regime. Once again, the prisons are getting overcrowded in Belarus. Protests were held in other cities around the country as well. The protesters displayed no slogans, and they were largely silent apart from some rhythmic clapping when surrounded by riot police.

The regime in Belarus has quickly gone from authoritarian to totalitarian. Presidential candidates and rivals to Lukashenka are still in prison and some of the most active oppositional youth have been sentenced to long prison terms. Support the Belarusian people in their struggle for freedom and human rights. Help us spread the words about the situation in the country!

For more info about todays protests in Belarus: http://euroradio.by/en/report/silent-protest-action-belarus-online

Isabel Sommerfeld, Project Manager behind Info Belarus, today writes together with Jonathan Leman (reporter at the magazine Expo) and Johan Berggren (Editor in Chief at Ordfront Magasin, one of the biggest society Magazines in Sweden) about how Wikileaks representatives use their leaks to support dictatorships.

The case which is specifically addressed is Israel Shamir, Wikileaks representative who was in place in Belarus during the presidential elections in 2010, when hundreds of activists, including presidential candidates and journalists were beaten, imprisoned and driven into exile. Israel Shamirs behavior put the opposition in great danger. He has not only openly praised dictator Lukashenko in Belarus and Ahmadinejad in Iran, but is also a notorious Jew-hater, holocaust denier and homophobe who blames the world’s problems on Jews and homosexuals.

It is very strange that journalists in Sweden and other European countries have not put more energy into criticizing Wikileaks when they have committed acts that shows the opposite to what they say they stand for – acts that directly could have injured innocent people.

Assange and Wikileaks has tried to deny their close ties to its representative Israel Shamir, but now the opposite has been proven (Jonathan Leman revealed  the fact about Julian Assanges close ties to Israel Shamir in the latest edition of Expo).

Read the article about Wikileaks and Israel Shamir in Swedish here. Published at ‘SVT Debatt’ 20/6.

Besluten ska ses mot bakgrund av att Belarus ekonomi sedan länge befinner sig i djup kris och kan i det närmaste sägas vara i fritt fall. Som ett led i att försöka stärka ekonomin har landet ansökt om lån på 8 miljarder dollar från Internationella valutafonden (IMF). Landet har också fått löfte om lån på 3 miljarder dollar från en rysk krisfond. Den belarusiska regeringen hoppas att lånen, motsvarande en femtedel av BNP, ska hjälpa landet undvika ekonomiskt kaos, stabilisera valutan och dämpa en snabbt ökande inflation.

- Vi har äran att få presentera Ales Michalevic som gästskribent på inofbelarus.nu i dag. Det är av stor vikt att de som faktiskt lever under förtryck och har upplevt den belarusiska regimens våld på nära håll, får tala ut inför omvärlden. Deras åsikter tystas dagligen och det är upp till oss att ge dem möjligheten att höras utanför diktaturens gränser, säger Isabel Sommerfeld, samordnare för Info Belarus.

Än i dag sitter hundratals politiska fångar fängslade efter protesterna mot valfusket i december 2010.
Michalevich lyckades fly landet, men ett flertal presidentkandidater sitter fängslade och utsätts för samma typ av tortyr och behandling som Michalevic vittnar om. Andrei Sannikov, en annan opponent till Lukasjenka, dömdes här om dagen till 5 års fängelse, som en av de huvudmisstänkta bakom organiseringen av protesterna under valdagen. Även han vittnar om tortyr. Farsliknande rättegångar mot unga aktivister och MR-arbetare hålls nu regelbundet.

- Regimen har på kort tid gått från att vara auktoritär till totalitär. Övervakningen och förtrycket gentemot oliktänkande märks av mer än någonsin. Diktaturen vi talar om ligger 1,5 timme bort med direktflyg från Stockholm. Det är chockerande att det här tillåts ske så nära oss, mitt i Europa. Stå upp för frihetskämparna och de fängslade politiska fångarna. Kom med på manifestation i dag på Sergels torg i Stockholm, fortsätter Isabel Sommerfeld.

Läs hela vittnesskildringen där Michalevic berättar om sin politiska kampanj, hans syn på utvecklingen i landet samt om tortyren i KGB:s fängelse, på www.infobelarus.nu. Citera gärna från hans artikel i övriga medier.

Vi välkomnar också allmänheten och media till solidaritetsmanifestationen på Sergels torg i dag kl. 11:30-12:30. Arrangörer är Info Belarus, Silc och Östgruppen.

Människorättsnätverket Info Belarus arbetar med att uppmärksamma situationen och den politiska utvecklingen i Europas sista diktatur, Belarus (Vitryssland). Med vår informationskampanj vill vi också stärka intresset bland journalister, politiker och allmänheten. Läs mer: www.infobelarus.nu.

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