Political Quotes

“I rise today to pay tribute to the courageous men and women who are struggling for freedom in Belarus. Almost 1 year ago, on December 19, 2010, elections took place in Belarus. At that time, some in the United States and Europe hoped that this vote would be a turning point for Belarus and that its authoritarian ruler, Aleksandr Lukashenko, would finally begin to pursue the political and economic reforms demanded by his people. In fact, the December 19 election was a turning point for Belarus-- but not in the way that some had hoped. It soon became obvious that the election had been egregiously rigged by the regime. In response, thousands of Belarusians from every background peacefully took to the streets in protest. It was the most significant public demonstration the country had seen in over a half decade, and the Lukashenko regime responded with violence. On that day, Belarusian security forces detained or arrested over 600 peaceful protestors. Hundreds more were surrounded by armored tanks and beaten by thugs dispatched by the regime. The Lukashenko regime arrested seven opposition candidates who participated in the vote, severely beating one candidate. In the year that has followed the election, hundreds of people--including several Presidential candidates--have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in sham trials that have again revealed Belarus' judicial system to be nothing more than a political tool abused by the regime.…”