Belarusian Opposition Leaders Call On Polish President And Prime Minister To Support Charter-97

26.03.2019, 13:23
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Preserving the website Charter97.org will contribute to the security and independence of the Belarusian and Polish people.

The Belarusian opposition leaders sent a letter to the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and the Prime Minister of the country Mateusz Moravetski with a request to support the work of the independent information website Charter97.org, which editors office is located in Warsaw today due to repressions by the Belarusian authorities. This year, funding for the portal has been significantly reduced.

The following persons appealed to the leaders of Poland: the first leader of independent Belarus, Stanislau Shushkevich, the head of the human rights center Viasna, Ales Bialiatski, the leaders of the Belarusian National Congress, Mikalai Statkevich and Uladzimir Niakliayeu, the co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, Pavel Seviarynets, the leader of the trade union of workers of the radio-electronic industry (REP Trade Union), Hennadz Fiadynich, the coordinator of the civil campaign European Belarus, Yauhen Afnahel.

The letter from the Belarusian opposition leaders says:

First of all we would like to express our gratitude to the Polish government for inviting and giving the Charter 97 (charter97.org) Belarusian Internet portal the opportunity to work on the territory of Poland. After the Charter 97 staff was forced to leave Belarus in 2010 as a result of brutal repression, Poland’s assistance gave a chance to restore its functioning.

Today Belarus is in a complex situation. Our country is in the Russia dominated information space as a result of the connivance and assistance of the ruling regime. A powerful flow of Moscow propaganda is continually coming down on the Belarusian society.

The legendary Charter-97 is the undisputed leader of resistance to information aggression in the Internet. It’s the first and, despite the regime's attempts to block it, the most popular Belarusian social and political website.

However, now the support from Poland is reduced to the extent, which makes it impossible for the editorial board to continue with its mission.

The loss of the key stronghold, which confronts informational aggression in the Web at the time, when the threat to our independence increases dramatically, can have dire consequences for our country.

We appeal to you as the leaders of the Polish state with a request to assist in supporting the Charter-97 Internet portal. We ask for your help in order to preserve this unique media that effectively opposes Russian propaganda in Belarus. We are sure that this will serve the security and independence of not only the Belarusian, but also the Polish people.

For our and your freedom!

Yours respectfully,

Stanislau Shushkevich, first Head of State of independent Belarus,

Hennadz Fiadynich, leader of the trade union of the radio-electronic industry workers

Mikalai Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian National Congress, Narodnaya Hramada party chairman

Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights center

Uladzimir Niakliayeu, member of the Council of the Belarusian National Congress,

Pavel Seviarynets, Belarusian Christian Democracy party co-chairman,

Yauhen Afnahel, coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign.