BELARUS:Irish members of the European Parliament have welcomed the award of this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Belarusian opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich. Dublin MEP Eoin Ryan of Fianna Fáil said yesterday that Mr Milinkevich was "a politician of conviction who is trying to promote the protection of civil liberties and the freedom of expression in Belarus".
Pointing out that the current regime led by President Alexander Lukashenko had jailed Mr Milinkevich for a time because of his activities, Mr Ryan said the award of the Sakharov human rights prize "sends out a strong message to the Belarus president that the European Union is not tolerating his antics".
Similar sentiments came from Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney who said: "Milinkevich is the voice of reform in Belarus, and I hope the award will provide more encouragement and inspiration for those fighting for human rights and freedom."
Pointing out that Ireland had close links to Belarus through the Chernobyl Children's Project, Mr Coveney added that Mr Milinkevich was "the face of opposition in what is the last dictatorship in Europe".
The Sakharov prize is awarded annually by the European Parliament to individuals or groups who have struggled for human rights and freedoms. It is presented on or near Human Rights Day, December 10th, each year. Previous recipients include Nelson Mandela, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardinas. The award, which comes with a €50,000 cheque, is named after Dr Andrei Sakharov (1921-89), the Russian nuclear physicist, dissident and human rights activist who campaigned for civil liberties and democratic reforms in the former Soviet Union and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.
Mr Milinkevich ran against Mr Lukashenko in presidential elections last March. He received an official tally of 6 per cent of the votes compared to 82 per cent for the incumbent, but the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the poll was "seriously flawed".
Speaking at the award ceremony, Mr Milinkevich stressed that the opposition in Belarus was not anti-Russian: "The fact that common ground with Moscow has not been found so far does not mean that Belarusian pro-democracy forces oppose Russia." He added that "we want to live in a sovereign state but also want to develop the best relations with Russia".
Mr Milinkevich received a standing ovation when he told the parliament: "This is a prize for all those who are imprisoned right now, for all those who got fired from their work. This is a prize for all those who, in my country, continue to fight for freedom. We are many."
Like Dr Sakharov, Alexander Milinkevich is a physicist by profession. He was born at Hrodna, Belarus, in July 1947. After a successful career as an academic he entered public life and was chosen by the United Democratic Forces of Belarus as their joint candidate in the presidential elections last March.
