Political Quotes

“3 years ago, the country of Belarus held a presidential election that marked--instead of finally joining the rest of democratic Europe--a brutal crackdown on freedom of expression and basic democratic principles. There was a glimmer of hope that perhaps this would finally be an opportunity for the Belarusian people to freely choose their own president in an honest and open election. No longer would the Belarusian people have to endure under the ``Last Dictator of Europe,'' strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Tragically, those hopes were quickly dashed when Lukashenko simply claimed another term as president amid elections described by international monitors as seriously flawed. On election night, December 19, 2010, hundreds of Belarusian citizens were beaten and arrested by KGB henchman--that is right, Belarus still has a KGB security service--for having the nerve to run in the election or peaceably demonstrate for an honest accounting of the election results. It was the worst crackdown in decades--although certainly not the first under Lukashenko's iron first in which he uses a combination of repression, intimidation, and torture to cling to power. I have come to the Senate floor a number of times during the past 3 years to talk about the tragic events in Belarus, where the Lukashenko regime has imprisoned and mistreated numerous political and human rights activists.…”