Declaration
From the Representatives of the Belarusian Democratic Opposition in Belarus on the Situation in Belarus

The presidential elections were accompanied by gross violations of electoral legislation by the authorities and did not meet international standards of free, fair and democratic elections. The official election results as announced by the Central Election Commission of Belarus do not correspond with the real will of the citizens. There is sufficient evidence that much less then half of the citizens who participated in the vote, voted for Lukashenko and therefore, in accordance with Article 81 of the Constitution, he can not be nominated as President of Belarus. New elections must be held in Belarus.

Trying to distract the attention of the Belarusian society and the international community from the rigged elections, the authorities organized a large-scale provocation on December 19th, 2010. It all started before the end of voting with the brutal beating of presidential candidate Vladimir Neklyaeva and a group of his supporters. A few hours later, when tens of thousands of people held a peaceful demonstration on Independence Square in Minsk, the authorities and law enforcement agencies for a long time, showing criminal negligence, did not take their statutory action against the dozen hooligans who provocatively smashed the windows of the entrance doors of the House of government. Instead of suppressing the acts of hooliganism by the provocateurs, the police, ordered by the authorities, organised a massacre among civilians. Special units of law enforcement agencies made a real manhunt along Independence Avenue and in the subway. All the people on the road were confronted with it, regardless whether they participated in the demonstration or not. The beating was of a unparalleled sadism. Women and the elderly were beaten. Those who fell to the ground were still kicked. Dozens of journalists were beaten and their professional equipment damaged. The beatings were accompanied by the detention of people. In total more than 700 people were arrested, including 7 of 9 candidates to the President of the Republic of Belarus.

Rather than identifying and prosecuting the specific hooligans and instigators, the law enforcement agencies, directed by the authorities, without cause and apparently with the political goal to destroy the opposition, launched a criminal case based on riots, which actually did not take place. As a result, 27 pro-democracy activists are accused of crimes for which the punishment is up to 15 years of imprisonment. Among them are the candidates for President of the Republic of Belarus Alexei Mikhalevich, Gregory Kostusev, Vladimir Nyaklyaeu, Andrei Sannikov, Nikolai Statkevich, Vitaly Rymashevsky, Dmitry Uss, as well as the head of the United Civil Party, Anatoly Lebedko, co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Pavel Severinets, editor of the opposition newspaper "Comrade” Sergei Wozniak and journalist Irina Khalip. Many of them were beaten and denied medical care. The defence lawyers for the accused are under pressure from the Ministry of Justice that threatens to withdraw their license to work as a lawyer.
Relatives are unlawfully forbidden to visit the prisoners.

Still now, the large-scale repression against the opposition, human rights organizations and non-state media is ongoing. The arrests of activists of the democratic opposition continue up to this day, as are the searches in the offices of political parties and media, whose computer equipment and data storage devices are confiscated. The conclusion is obvious that the government, having lost the election, seeks to eliminate the opposition by force, to suppress those having their own opinions and to intimidate the people.

To counteract the rising terror and repression by the authorities, we have created the National Coordination Council of the Democratic Opposition, whose objectives are:

• the release of people arrested on false, politically motivated grounds and assist in organizing an effective aid for the repressed and their families;
• to organise the spread of objective information about the situation in the country to both the citizens of Belarus and the international community;
• to ensure that the country returns on the path of law and democracy;
• to create the conditions in the country to hold truly free and fair elections.

We urge the Belarusian authorities:
• to immediately cease the criminal cases invented for political reasons against the organizers and participants of the peaceful demonstration on Dec. 19th, 2010, and to fully abide the democratic freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus.
• to hold a thorough and transparent investigation on the facts and to bring to justice both those responsible for the lack of action of the law enforcement agencies to end the provocative actions of some hooligans and those responsible for the brutal beating of civilians, including those who have not participated in the march and rally, as well as journalists;
• to establish and lawfully bring to justice the specific hooligans who smashed the windows of the Government House;

We appeal to the parliaments, the governments and the public of all democratic countries to show solidarity with the Belarusian people and to take all measures allowed by international law, including the diplomatic, political and any other pressures to force the Belarusian authorities:
• to strictly observe the international agreements on the rights and democratic freedoms that were signed by the Republic of Belarus;
• to release from detention all those opposition activists, including the presidential candidates, who were arrested on false grounds;
• to stop the illegal repression against the opposition, the human rights and other organizations, the independent media and citizens.

Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, A. Yaroshuk
Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada, Shushkevich
The Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Gramada), M. Grib
Belarusian Party of the Left "Fair World”, S. Kalyakin
The United Civil Party, Bogdankevich
Public association "Tell the Truth", Dmitriev
Public association "Movement for Freedom", Milinkevich
Public association "European Belarus", V. Ivashkevich
Public association "Young Front", N. Demidenko
Organizing Committee of the Belarusian Party of Women "Nadzeya", E. Eskova
Organizing Committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Gramada), S. Kulenich
BPF Party, A. Yanukevich
The Organizing Committee of the Belarusian Party of Workers, Bukhvostov A.
The Organizing Committee of the Belarusian Christian Democracy, D. Sadowski
The Organizing Committee of the Party of Freedom and Progress, V. Navasyad
Rada of the Belarusian Intelligentsia, V. Colas
Former Candidate for President of the Republic of Belarus and former political prisoner, Alexander Kozulin