Nyaklyayeu comments on Shagal-opposition agreement
Belarusian opposition leaders have met Israeli Ambassador Iosif Shagal today, on February 14.
The diplomat’s statement got a lot of publicity in the democratic circles. There are no political prisoners in Belarus – only criminals, Shagal claimed.
The statement was discussed at the meeting on February 14. One of the participants of the meeting, Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu, reported its details to Euroradio:
According to him, the Ambassador insisted on the fact that mass media had misunderstood him:
Nyaklyayeu: "There are no political prisoners – there are only people convicted for crimes according to the legislation of the Republic of Belarus. This is the Belarusian government’s point of view. However, democratic countries like the United States, European countries and the democratic state of Israel think that there are political prisoners in Belarus, he said.”
The opposition and the Ambassador agreed to establish closer contacts in the future, Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu added. The Ambassador promised to promote the democratization of Belarus and the protection of human rights in our country, the opposition political noted.
