Against the last dictatorship

“Europe can never be complete without Belarus”, declared ALEXANDER Milinkevich, leader of the democratic opposition to the regime installed by President Lukashenko, on receiving the Sakharov Prize during the last session of the European Parliament. The prize is assigned each year to personalities or organizations that have distinguished themselves in the defence of human rights and fundamental liberties. The ceremony held in Strasbourg provided a further occasion to reflect on the situation of the former Soviet Republic and to verify the commitment of the EU to the defence of human rights. OBJECTIVES: PEACE AND DEMOCRACY. The President of the European Parliament, the Spaniard JOSEP BORRELL , paid tribute to the winner of the 2006 Sakharov Prize “and to all those who are dedicating themselves to building peace and democracy in Belarus”, defying “the last dictatorship in Europe”. Milinkevich had stood in the Presidential elections in March, the results of which were condemned as invalid both by the EU and by the USA. A university professor of science, 59 years old, he studied physics and mathematics in France, Germany and the USA and has taught in various universities in the world. He served as mayor of his hometown, Hrodna, in the 1990s. Recently he was arrested for having participated in a demonstration that had not been authorized by the government in Minsk. IN THE LAND OF DOSTOÏEVSKI. Milinkevich emphasized, in his acceptance speech in the European Parliament building, that the prize “was not for him alone but for all the Belarusians who are continuing their struggle for Belarus to rejoin the family of democratic European nations”, even “at the cost of sacrificing their own personal prosperity, freedom and life”. Milinkevich offered an interesting reconstruction of the political and cultural history of his country since the war, repeatedly interrupted by the applause of MEPs. He recalled that Belarus “is the land of personalities like Apollinnaire, Chagall and Dostoïevski”, milestones in the culture of the old continent. He then explained that, after the fall of the Soviet Union, “Belarus had welcomed independence in 1991, but had not realised that independence and freedom were not the same thing”. On the other hand, the Prize “is a sign that Europe is paying attention to the situation in Belarus”, a country brought to its knees today by the lack of internal freedom, an impoverished economy and “a sovereignty threatened by Moscow”. He called for an “economic partnership with the EU to relieve the fate of the Belarusian people”. A MISSIONARY AMONG THE CANDIDATES. The Sakharov Prize (including a cheque for 50,000 euros) has been awarded since 1988. Previous winners have included men and women of the calibre of Nelson Mandela, Alexander Dubcek, Líela Zana and Ibrahim Rugova, as well as organizations like the UNO and Reporters without frontiers. Two years ago the prize was awarded to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, active in the defence of freedom of expression in Minsk. This year’s candidates (recommended by the political groups of the EP) included the former Colombian Senator Ingrid Betancourt, the Cambodian voluntary humanitarian worker Somaly Mam, the Lebanese journalist Ghassan Tueni and the Catholic bishop Erwin Krautler, from Austria, a missionary in Brazil, who works to protect indigenous minorities and to preserve the natural habitat of the Amazon rain forest. THE SAKHAROV ONE YEAR LATER… This initiative is not the only one taken by the EP in the field of human rights: every year the Assembly publishes a report on the situation of human rights in the member countries and another report that analyses the situation in the rest of the world. Recently a sub-committee was set up with the specific task of monitoring human rights. The Parliament also allocates its own funds (as well as those apportioned by the EU budget) to fund projects that promote democracy and essential civil liberties in the world. Last year’s winners include the ‘Damas de Blanco’, women who campaign for the recognition of the rights of political prisoners in Cuba. Contacted by the EP itself a year later, the women explain, through their spokesperson LALY GARCIA , what the influence of the Sakharov was on their activities in Cuba. “The award of the prize gave us fame and great protection. The Cuban government shows greater respect for the women who, every Sunday, dressed in white, go to the church of Santa Rita on Miramare, walking in silence through the streets. They appeal in this way for rights and respect and now people know who they are and recognize their aim”. HAUWA IBRAHIM , a civil lawyer in Nigeria, has been active for years in defending women who, according to the Islamic law applied in his country, are condemned to death for adultery. “I have donated – he explains – the contribution of the European Parliament to an organization that has been able to help 14 children, also enabling them to go back to school”.