Poland pledges support for Belarusian opposition

Radoslaw Sikorski (C), Andrei Sannikov (L) and Irina Khalip (R): msz.gov

The minister hosted former political prisoner Andrei Sannikov and his wife, the journalist Irina Khalip, during a closed meeting at the foreign office.

According to a statement released by the ministry, besides assurances “of Poland's support for the democratic cause in Belarus,” Sikorski stressed that the newly established European Endowment for Democracy (EED) “will prove an effective tool for supporting Belarusian civil society.”

The EED is an EU initiative that was proposed by Sikorski in January 2011. Its principal task is to provide material and ideological support to pro-democracy activists and organisations outside the EU, ranging from NGOs to independent media outlets and even lone bloggers.

It's executive director is Deputy Foreign Minister Jerzy Pomianowski, and for the immediate future, the organisation's activities will focus on members of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), a separate EU Polish-led initiative aimed at improving political and economic ties with the aforementioned countries.

Andrei Sannikov, who served as a deputy foreign minister of Belarus from 1995-1996 but resigned from his post, currently lives in the UK after being granted asylum by British authorities. He had been charged with “organising a mass riot” during the 2010 presidential elections that saw Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko re-elected in December of that year.

Originally given a 5-year sentence in a penal colony, he was released early in April 2012.

Irina Khalip still lives and works as a journalist in Belarus for Russian paper Novaya Gazeta. She was given a two-year suspended sentence for taking part in the December 2010 protests.

Originally forbidden from leaving Minsk, she was given leave to visit her husband and must return to Belarus by 2 April. (nh)

Source: PAP/MSZ