FAIR AND BALANCED VIEW FROM THE STATE PRESS
Lukashenko about street riots: Give us a chance to restore order
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MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has held a conference with members of the Security Council, BelTA has learned.
The head of state said: “Once again you and I have to return to the matter of the state of affairs in the capital city – Minsk – not even in Belarus. I can't say there is some catastrophe or the situation is too intense, but there are plenty of problems and issues that need to be addressed. Today we absolutely clearly see what is going on. We see the parties involved. As we said, people from abroad are masterminds and organizers of all that's happening. People with a criminal past, a decent criminal past at that, march in the front ranks. And then there are our people – kids and not kids anymore.”
“Today I cannot complain about anyone specifically. I can't. Because you can see how the situation is unfolding. The only thing I would like to ask the minister and other people: we are Slavs after all, if a person falls and stays down, don't beat him or her. A certain brake must be in place,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. “Then again, as a military man I can understand that when you spend all your life in the barracks together with someone (a 20-year-old riot police officer is someone's kid), when you've lived next to each other for two years already… And when someone strikes from behind (totally unmanly) these kids, these police officers… And the guy's backbone breaks, he will stay disabled for his entire life.”
“Can you tell me how the mother of this kid will live? Yes, bruises are bad. But bruises will pass while the police officer will never walk again. So many legs and extremities have been broken! Nearly about 100 people have been injured!” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
“Do riot police officers or regular police officers want that? They've been calmly training, living in their barracks. But they went out to protect them [citizens] while they backstab police. They came at traffic police officers with knives, shivs… It was premeditated! You and I understand who does it,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko once again addressed parents of teenagers and young people. “It is the fourth time I am telling the parents to look where their kids are. I understand that some kids can be unruly at this age – 16-17 years (I know it very well), particularly boys. You can contact us and we will help. We will talk to them, find a suitable activity for these kids after all. Why do things have to go that far for us to start fixing these issues?”
Aleksandr Lukashenko addressed his fellow Belarusians: “Don't you go to the streets these days! You have to understand that you and our kids are used as cannon fodder! People from Poland, Holland, Ukraine, from Russia across the open border, Navalny's people, and so on and so forth have come to Belarus. An aggression against the country has been launched,” the president said.
“Can you tell me how a military man should react? What am I to do in this situation? Do you want me to sit and wait until Minsk is upside down? We will not be able to stabilize things then. This is why it is necessary to stop, take the head in hands and calm down. And give us a chance to restore order and sort out those, who have come here,” the head of state concluded.
https://eng.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-about-street-riots-give-us-a-chance-to-restore-order-132590-2020/
Minister: 11 vehicle attacks on police over three days
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) - Eleven vehicle-ramming attacks were made on law enforcement officers for the past three days, Belarus' Internal Affairs Minister Yuri Karayev said on the air of the ONT TV channel on 13 August, BelTA has learned.
Minister: 11 vehicle attacks on police over three days
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) - Eleven vehicle-ramming attacks were made on law enforcement officers for the past three days, Belarus' Internal Affairs Minister Yuri Karayev said on the air of the ONT TV channel on 13 August, BelTA has learned.
“For the past three days 11 vehicle-ramming attacks were made on law enforcement officers and soldiers of the interior troops. This is, in fact, attempted murder,” the minister said.
In his view, such acts were carried out to escalate the violence in order to breed hatred.
Yuri Karayev informed that more than 50 police officers were injured. Of these, 10 were hit by cars. “Other injuries were burns from pyrotechnics, twisted joints. These are serious injuries. These guys, the soldiers of the internal troops also have parents. The riot policemen also have parents, children, wives. What is it like for them?” he asked a question.
The minister also spoke out against bullying of law enforcement officers and their families, including on the internet.
In his view, such acts were carried out to escalate the violence in order to breed hatred.
Yuri Karayev informed that more than 50 police officers were injured. Of these, 10 were hit by cars. “Other injuries were burns from pyrotechnics, twisted joints. These are serious injuries. These guys, the soldiers of the internal troops also have parents. The riot policemen also have parents, children, wives. What is it like for them?” he asked a question.
The minister also spoke out against bullying of law enforcement officers and their families, including on the internet.
14 AUGUST 2020,
Belarus' interior minister speaks against any violence against journalist
An archive photo
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) – Belarus' Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Karayev has said that he has always been against any forms of violence against journalists. He made this statement as he appeared on the ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“I have always spoken against any forms of violence against journalists. I support civilized coverage of events. Journalists are doing a great job, they are courageously reporting from the thick of events. Naturally, it is very important for you to get to the bottom of it and assess the developments as objectively and completely as possible. However, it does not mean that you should get in between and find yourselves in the cross hairs,” Yuri Karayev said.
“Please, do not be so carefree. I strongly ask you not to take the bear by the tooth,” the minister said.
At the same time he noted that when a firecracker, a makeshift knife, a stone or a paving block is flying towards a policeman who should take some action in response, his first thought in not about how to avoid hitting a person with a camera.
According to Yuri Karayev, he ordered to release journalists as a matter of priority.
Trade unions call to stop violence, come to peaceful dialogue for Belarus' future
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) – The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) calls on everyone to stop violence and come to a peaceful dialogue for the future of Belarus, the FTUB says in its statement, BelTA has learned.
“The people who go out and gather at the factories and plants are concerned with the rising tensions and the situation with safety on the streets of our cities. The Federation of Trade Unions receives numerous appeals from labor collectives to call on everyone to stop the violence, not to provoke conflicts, to preserve peace in our country. Today, people want their children, relatives and colleagues who have been detained to be released as soon as possible. We are talking about those who found themselves in places where street rallies were held and did not violate public order. We share these calls and insist that the law enforcement agencies release these people as soon as possible and conduct an open and objective investigation in each case,” said the FTUB.
The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus will provide any necessary assistance, be it legal, psychological and financial to those in a difficult situation. “We urge everyone to stop the violence and come to a peaceful dialogue for the sake of the future of each of us and our Belarus,” the statement reads.
Internal Affairs Ministry: Measures taken to protect law and order in Belarus
MINSK, 13 August (BelTA) - The Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to take the necessary measures, within its competence, to protect law and order and to ensure public safety in the country, official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Olga Chemodanova said in her Telegram channel, BelTA has learned.
Yesterday, various Internet resources posted calls to block street traffic. In Minsk there were attempts to block traffic in Independence Avenue near the TsUM department store, in the Malinovka and Serebryanka neighborhoods, in Surganova Street and other places. This caused interruptions in the work of public transport.
About 700 people have been detained for participation in the riots. The protests in the country have lost steam but the level of aggression against law enforcement officers remains high. A total of 103 law enforcement officers were injured as a result of illegal actions of citizens on 9-13 August, 28 of them were hospitalized. Vehicle-ramming attacks on traffic policemen were repeated in Minsk and in Baranovichi yesterday. Law enforcement officers used weapons to stop the perpetrators. The riot police detained two young men, aged 18 and 19, who were making Molotov cocktails in Minsk.
MPs, civil society discuss situation in Belarus
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) - The parliament hosted a meeting of members of five standing commissions, representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the International Federation of Human Rights, the Belarusian Union of Journalists and the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The participants to the meeting discussed the situation in Belarus and possible ways to resolve it, BelTA has learned.
“This is not a protocol meeting,” Gennady Davydko, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Human Rights, National Relations and Media of the House of Representatives, stressed at the beginning of the meeting. “This is a meeting of concerned people who love their homeland, who want to see peace and accord in the society," he said.
“An inflow of information is enormous. Everyone has their own point of view. But we, the participants of the meeting, are united, I think, by one idea - peace,” the MP stressed. "We need to have a candid discussion and, most importantly, we need to put forward solutions.”
“We are united by the desire to normalize the situation, to keep the country independent and sovereign,” Gennady Davydko said.
Chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Oleg Gulak told the MPs how the situation is seen by human rights organizations. He thanked for the opportunity to discuss the situation and lamented that such opportunities were few before. “Now many perceive the whole situation differently. Because of this, different conclusions are made," he said.
Responding to journalists' questions, the chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee stressed that it is very important to create conditions for dialogue. Among the first steps to be taken, according to him, is the release of all those who have been detained. “People should see that their children, relatives are being released," said Oleg Gulak.
“My main appeal is for everyone to stay peaceful, to keep things peaceful, and to avoid violence,” he concluded.
Opinion: An active color revolution forestalled peaceful protests
(COLOUR SUCH AS THE ORANGE REVOLUTION IN THE UKRAINE AKA MAIDAN)
An archive photo13 AUGUST 2020
MINSK, 13 August (BelTA) – An active color revolution has stolen a march on peaceful protests, independent military expert Aleksandr Pavlovsky told the ONT TV channel on 12 August, BelTA has learned.
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) – Belarus' Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Karayev has said that he has always been against any forms of violence against journalists. He made this statement as he appeared on the ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“I have always spoken against any forms of violence against journalists. I support civilized coverage of events. Journalists are doing a great job, they are courageously reporting from the thick of events. Naturally, it is very important for you to get to the bottom of it and assess the developments as objectively and completely as possible. However, it does not mean that you should get in between and find yourselves in the cross hairs,” Yuri Karayev said.
“Please, do not be so carefree. I strongly ask you not to take the bear by the tooth,” the minister said.
At the same time he noted that when a firecracker, a makeshift knife, a stone or a paving block is flying towards a policeman who should take some action in response, his first thought in not about how to avoid hitting a person with a camera.
According to Yuri Karayev, he ordered to release journalists as a matter of priority.
Trade unions call to stop violence, come to peaceful dialogue for Belarus' future
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) – The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) calls on everyone to stop violence and come to a peaceful dialogue for the future of Belarus, the FTUB says in its statement, BelTA has learned.
“The people who go out and gather at the factories and plants are concerned with the rising tensions and the situation with safety on the streets of our cities. The Federation of Trade Unions receives numerous appeals from labor collectives to call on everyone to stop the violence, not to provoke conflicts, to preserve peace in our country. Today, people want their children, relatives and colleagues who have been detained to be released as soon as possible. We are talking about those who found themselves in places where street rallies were held and did not violate public order. We share these calls and insist that the law enforcement agencies release these people as soon as possible and conduct an open and objective investigation in each case,” said the FTUB.
The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus will provide any necessary assistance, be it legal, psychological and financial to those in a difficult situation. “We urge everyone to stop the violence and come to a peaceful dialogue for the sake of the future of each of us and our Belarus,” the statement reads.
Internal Affairs Ministry: Measures taken to protect law and order in Belarus
MINSK, 13 August (BelTA) - The Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to take the necessary measures, within its competence, to protect law and order and to ensure public safety in the country, official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Olga Chemodanova said in her Telegram channel, BelTA has learned.
Yesterday, various Internet resources posted calls to block street traffic. In Minsk there were attempts to block traffic in Independence Avenue near the TsUM department store, in the Malinovka and Serebryanka neighborhoods, in Surganova Street and other places. This caused interruptions in the work of public transport.
About 700 people have been detained for participation in the riots. The protests in the country have lost steam but the level of aggression against law enforcement officers remains high. A total of 103 law enforcement officers were injured as a result of illegal actions of citizens on 9-13 August, 28 of them were hospitalized. Vehicle-ramming attacks on traffic policemen were repeated in Minsk and in Baranovichi yesterday. Law enforcement officers used weapons to stop the perpetrators. The riot police detained two young men, aged 18 and 19, who were making Molotov cocktails in Minsk.
MPs, civil society discuss situation in Belarus
MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) - The parliament hosted a meeting of members of five standing commissions, representatives of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the International Federation of Human Rights, the Belarusian Union of Journalists and the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The participants to the meeting discussed the situation in Belarus and possible ways to resolve it, BelTA has learned.
“This is not a protocol meeting,” Gennady Davydko, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Human Rights, National Relations and Media of the House of Representatives, stressed at the beginning of the meeting. “This is a meeting of concerned people who love their homeland, who want to see peace and accord in the society," he said.
“An inflow of information is enormous. Everyone has their own point of view. But we, the participants of the meeting, are united, I think, by one idea - peace,” the MP stressed. "We need to have a candid discussion and, most importantly, we need to put forward solutions.”
“We are united by the desire to normalize the situation, to keep the country independent and sovereign,” Gennady Davydko said.
Chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Oleg Gulak told the MPs how the situation is seen by human rights organizations. He thanked for the opportunity to discuss the situation and lamented that such opportunities were few before. “Now many perceive the whole situation differently. Because of this, different conclusions are made," he said.
Responding to journalists' questions, the chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee stressed that it is very important to create conditions for dialogue. Among the first steps to be taken, according to him, is the release of all those who have been detained. “People should see that their children, relatives are being released," said Oleg Gulak.
“My main appeal is for everyone to stay peaceful, to keep things peaceful, and to avoid violence,” he concluded.
Opinion: An active color revolution forestalled peaceful protests
(COLOUR SUCH AS THE ORANGE REVOLUTION IN THE UKRAINE AKA MAIDAN)
An archive photo13 AUGUST 2020
MINSK, 13 August (BelTA) – An active color revolution has stolen a march on peaceful protests, independent military expert Aleksandr Pavlovsky told the ONT TV channel on 12 August, BelTA has learned.
“I believe that an active color revolution has got in before peaceful protests. It had started before the election was over. People were already out behaving aggressively. It is obvious that there is a program, there are puppet masters who had planned and arranged everything before the election,” Aleksandr Pavlovsky said.
In his words, a color revolution is usually followed by a civil war and later an intervention. “We see that some representatives of western states (Poland) and America came forward with their offers to broker talks, though we did not ask them about it. There are people from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other states who came here to take part in street actions. All this is done to have an impact on our country. However, we have a normal society that has its own opinion, culture, stance; we can find a solution to peacefully resolve protests,” the expert believes.
Director of the Center for Strategic and Foreign Policy Studies Denis Bukonkin shares this view. “A peaceful protest is the right enshrined in the Constitution of Belarus. However, building barricades, throwing bottles into public authorities, provoking clashes – this is not a peaceful protest, but a marginalized approach to showing disagreement. It is obvious that these people have the necessary experience judging by how fast they managed to build barricades and find pyrotechnical devices. This is certainly a non-peaceful protest,” the expert concluded.
In his words, a color revolution is usually followed by a civil war and later an intervention. “We see that some representatives of western states (Poland) and America came forward with their offers to broker talks, though we did not ask them about it. There are people from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other states who came here to take part in street actions. All this is done to have an impact on our country. However, we have a normal society that has its own opinion, culture, stance; we can find a solution to peacefully resolve protests,” the expert believes.
Director of the Center for Strategic and Foreign Policy Studies Denis Bukonkin shares this view. “A peaceful protest is the right enshrined in the Constitution of Belarus. However, building barricades, throwing bottles into public authorities, provoking clashes – this is not a peaceful protest, but a marginalized approach to showing disagreement. It is obvious that these people have the necessary experience judging by how fast they managed to build barricades and find pyrotechnical devices. This is certainly a non-peaceful protest,” the expert concluded.
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