Head of State Alexander Lukaschenko continues to mock any democratic values in view of the upcoming Presidential Election on August 9 in Belarus.
12 days before the election, on July 29, the longtime member of the EAPC, Vitaly Shklyarov, was arrested on the street in Gomel and taken in prison in Minsk, 300 km away, where he is currently serving.
“He only went for a short visit to the market near his house in Homel with shorts and T-shirt”, reports his mother. “They arrested him without any reason. I received a call late in the evening telling me that he is in the prison in Minsk.”
The arrest was later based on the fact that he seems to have organized the social media campaign for an opposition presidential candidate and set up a network with volunteers.
The EAPC, the European Association of Political Consultants, strongly condemns the blatant arbitrariness of the authorities.
“Vitaly Shklyarov is a very serious and experienced political consultant who was working for Angelika Merkel in the past as well as in the Barak Obama campaign”, said the EAPC.
In an open letter, Head of the State, Alexander Lukaschenko is asked to have Vitaly Shklyarov released immediately and to ensure free and fair elections in his country.
“As free people of liberal community with democrats values, we can not tolerate such actions in any way. We also urge all democratic forces around Europe to work for the release of our colleague”.
