Appeal of the “RADA” in relation with the situation after presidential elections in Belarus

We, the union of twenty seven democratic youth organizations of Belarus, being created with the purpose of consolidating of youth organizations and initiatives of Belarus for representation, promotion and defending common interests, exercising right to freedoms of association and other constitutional rights, represented by the Governing Body – the Board of “RADA”, make the following statement:

We are the people of the Republic of Belarus. We are tired of the lies and falsifications that constantly come from the government. We know that our choice has been stolen. Therefore, we, the people of the Republic of Belarus, act for the sake of restoring justice and law in the country in any peaceful way available to us.

We are sure that the real manipulators and liars are in Belarus, and not abroad, as Lukashenka is trying to convince us. He deceives all of us – people, officials, police. Not always doing it himself: we see participation of state channels and newspapers, to which other parties from administrations and committees transfer scripts of reports and video recordings in order to tarnish the reputation of people they dislike. And when it is not possible to fabricate a case, then blackmail and kidnapping are used. We, the people of the Republic of Belarus, will no longer tolerate such lawlessness.

For a long time, we – the people of Belarus – were deprived of the right and opportunity to peacefully and publicly express our opinion AT ANY TIME AND FOR ANY REASON, without fear of being detained, receiving fines or injury. Now we have taken to the streets, because our votes in the presidential elections were stolen, and the voting results were rigged by a group of persons in a preliminary collusion. Therefore, we do not recognize the results of these elections and express distrust to the Cental Election Committee.

We also took to the streets to protest the president’s criminal and disrespectful words and actions towards the people, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We are on the streets because of his personal ignorance and all those who work to preserve his power through provocations, blackmail, trumped-up charges and criminal cases, pre-written protocols of election commissions.

However, seeing the people’s indignation, Lukashenka’s manipulators decided to unleash a civil war, leaving employees of the internal affairs bodies and other power structures against their own people, hoping to crush public discontent. But a few days later, the police understand that they were deceived – on the streets not “drug addicts paid from abroad”, but people who demand justice, respect for the rights and equality of all before the law, and the personal responsibility of law enforcement officers and their trials are already close.

Concerning all this:

• We, the people of the Republic of Belarus, express distrust to the leaders of the Cental election commission (CEC), Committee of State Control (CSC) and Committee of State Security (KGB) and demand their resignation.
• We demand an end to the use of violence and torture by law enforcement officials in relation to participants in peaceful assemblies in the Republic of Belarus.
• We demand an end to torture and the immediate release of all people detained at peaceful gatherings, and to cancel all the decisions of the administrative courts over them.
• We demand an honest recognition of the mistakes and falsifications of CEC, CSC and KGB and the immediate release of all political prisoners and the termination of criminal cases against them.
• We demand the creation of an interdepartmental public commission, including representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee, the human rights campaign “Human Rights Defenders for Fair Elections”, as well as the “Honest People” initiative, in order to organize an investigation of all facts of violations that were noted in the electoral process.
• We demand the creation of an interdepartmental public commission, including representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Health, human rights organizations of Belarus, in order to organize an investigation of all facts of torture and inhuman treatment of detainees.
• We demand that new presidential elections be held no later than November 15, 2020. All people who have fulfilled the conditions of the electoral code must be admitted as candidates, except for those whose guilt has been proven by the court, and not by pieces of paper and denunciations. Voting must be held for 1 day only, with no early voting. New election commissions should also be formed, all registered observers in any number should be admitted, and international observer missions should be invited in accordance with international treaties.
• For the period before the new president comes into power, political power in the country is transferred to the Transitional Government, which should be formed from representatives of all political parties and civil society organizations of Belarus that will express interest, according to the principle: 1 organization / party – 1 representative. State media channels should provide live coverage of the Transitional Government’s work and allow time for all political forces in the country to express their views.
• We demand from the Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Karaev to guarantee the personal safety of the participants in the Transitional Government and to provide them with the possibility of unhindered work on the holding of new presidential elections.
• We appeal to the Minister of Defense Viktor Khrenin to ensure the country’s security from external threats during the transition period, primarily from the eastern border.

We are the people of the Republic of Belarus, and the people cannot lose in the elections!