Minskers urge to recall Israeli Ambassador from Belarus
Ex-political prisoners and their relatives have asked to recall Iosif Shagal.
The corresponding appeal has been sent to Israeli President Shimon Peres and other officials. Political prisoners’ relatives and ex-political prisoners reacted to the Israeli Ambassador’s notorious statement this way. He said that Belarusian political prisoners were ‘criminals’.
The statement Shagal pronounced has never been pronounced by diplomats from other states, the letter says. “The human rights situation in Belarus has been discussed by the international community many times,” BelaPAN quotes the statement. “Visa sanctions were imposed on a number of Belarusian officials in connection with the violation of human rights in Belarus. Even the official Belarusian authorities admit the existence of political prisoners de facto.”
The letter was signed by 46 people including Maryna Adamovich (political prisoner Mikola Statkevich’s wife), Ales Byalyatski’s wife Natallya Pinchuk, ex-political prisoners Pavel Sevyarynets, Andrei Sannikau, Zmitser Dashkevich and others.
The Israeli MFA press service announced on the evening of February 14: “The words pronounced by the Ambassador in Minsk do not reflect Israel’s official position.” The Israeli MFA regrets the incident.
Photo: bymedia.net
