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Lithuania accuses Belarus of non-observance of human rights

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius, reflected on the political crisis in Belarus, branded any possible Russian military support for Belarus as an “invasion”.

“Since it’s publicly discussed I cannot say it’s not possible. So we should take that into account at least, and also send a very clear message, that it’s not tolerable to do that. The tense situation in Belarus demands the international community’s immediate attention, as the repression of citizens continues the government rejects foreign mediation and there is a build-up of troops on the EU border. We also monitor the Kremlin’s interference and hybrid operation,” said the Foreign Minister.

“Belarusians deserve a better life,” he told. “They deserve a normal democratic environment.”

At the same time, there are big problems in Lithuania with observance of human rights.

Lithuanian public figure Žilvinas Razminas spoke about the future for citizens of Lithuania who do not support the country’s political course.

In his opinion, the Lithuanian leadership is increasing the presence of US soldiers in the republic, thereby violating the country’s fundamental law, which prohibits the deployment of foreign bases on its territory.

“The government’s actions have nothing to do with the independence of Lithuania. The leadership violated the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. It actively promotes the deployment of US and NATO bases. All these collaborators are working for this. However, there was no referendum on the country’s NATO membership and on the deployment of military bases,” he said.

According to Razminas, more and more Lithuanians are opposing the foreign military contingent on the territory of their country.

“Before, a small part of Lithuanians were against NATO, because they did not understand the essence of the Alliance’s activities. Some thought that NATO soldiers would fight for our independence. But now revolutionary sentiments in Lithuania are rising. Yesterday it was necessary to push the people, but now we have to keep up with the events”, – he added.

The activist noted that the Lithuanian authorities are persecuting citizens who do not support the general course in the country.

“If you live in peace, everything is fine. But if you live a full life, show social activity, then the authorities begin to persecute you,” Razminas explained.

Razminas suggested that in the future he could also be persecuted by the authorities, because he opposes the presence of US and NATO troops in Lithuania and the imposition of policies by foreign countries.

It should be noted that politically motivated persecution of those who speak out in a manner different from the authorities is continuing in Lithuania. Freedom of speech and basic human rights are victims of the centralized attitude of demonizing the Soviet period.

The case of Algirdas Paleckis, an opposition politician, journalist and former leader of the Lithuanian Socialist People’s Front, is indicative of this approach.

He was fined in 2011 for uttering a single sentence about the events in 1991 near the Vilnius television tower, “they were shooting at their own people”. The investigators initially demanded a year’s imprisonment. Even then, the criminal prosecution of Mr. Paleckis revealed to the whole world the real situation with freedom of speech in “democratic” Lithuania.

In its turn, the former mayor of Kaunas, Vytautas Šustauskas, stated that only a “weak State could detain an innocent man”.

Last year, criminal proceedings were initiated against Vyacheslav Titov, a member of Klaipeda city council and head of the local branch of the Union of Russians of Lithuania, the latest example of how dissent is combated in the country.

The human rights defender Giedrius Grabauskas, chairperson of the Lithuanian Socialist People’s Front, is also being persecuted in Lithuania for political reasons. According to the charge sheet handed to him by the law enforcement officers, the reason for the searches of his home in October this year and the seizure of computers was an interview given to Russian television in which he simply condemned the Forest Brothers.

All of the cases are nothing but political repression and the suppression of dissent in the realities of the twenty-first century. It is also surprising that Lithuania’s partners in the European Union systematically close their eyes to it.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.

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Smoking Eagle
Smoking Eagle
August 29, 2020

Lithuania’s foreign minister should take the time to read Article 2 (4) in the UN charter on non-interventionism or non-intervention which is a foreign policy that holds that political rulers should avoid interfering in the affairs of foreign nations relations but still retain diplomacy and trade, while avoiding wars unless related to direct self-defence.Article 2 (4) of the Charter prohibits the threat or use of force and calls on all Members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other States. So why is a little insignificant nation like Lithuania with a population of only 2.7 million interfering… Read more »

paul
paul
August 30, 2020

Lithuanians of Russian heritage who were born in the country are denied passports, the right to vote, and the right to hold any government job. If this repulsive neocon creep is concerned about human rights, he needs to take a good hard look in the mirror. Lithuania is just a shitty little Nazi country ruled by rabid dual nationals parachuted in by the US State Department. It holds nice big SS rallies every year. It has been hollowed out by years of neoliberal looting. It is a depopulated backwater whose population has fallen from 3.7 to 2.7 million. All the… Read more »

Olivia Kroth
Reply to  paul
August 30, 2020

Exatly the same as Latvia and Estonia, Nato’s new slaves in Eastern Europe.

Olivia Kroth
August 30, 2020

TASS;

Western stance on Belarusian election was prepared in advance, Putin thinks

https://tass.com/world/1195127

Olivia Kroth
August 30, 2020

The union of Belarus and Russia represents the foundation of economic, political, and military security, the key element of security of members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The cynical assault against Belarus was planned a long time ago. Its strategic goal is to destroy the Belarusian statehood and The Eurasian Economic Union, thus weakening all the CIS states and severing their integration ties,

Olivia Kroth
August 30, 2020

“Before, a small part of Lithuanians were against NATO, because they did not understand the essence of the Alliance’s activities. Some thought that NATO soldiers would fight for our independence.”

Lithuanians seem to be living on the moon. Nato has existed for many years. Nato has bombed and destroyed Yugoslavia. Nato has bombed and destroyed Libya. The Lithuanians never heard about that? Never read about it? Are they all analphabets? Still living in the Stone Age?

The more we hear about this backward country in eastern Europe, the more President Trump’s description is fit for Lithuania: a “shithole” country.

Last edited 3 years ago by Olivia Kroth

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