With the approach of the election campaign in Belarus to climax — vote August 9 — the passion is growing more rapidly. 24 July it became known that the failed presidential candidate Valery Tsepkalo, whose name ultimately was not included in the ballot, for security reasons, left the country with their children. At the same time new charges were brought against Victor Babariko — even one politician who will participate in the elections, but got in jail on charges of committing economic crimes. Against this background, the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko gave to understand that in the event of unauthorized protest actions to restore order can be brought in army units.Valery Tsepkalo, in the past, a senior diplomat and former Director of the Belarusian high-tech Park, which the CEC is not allowed to participate in the presidential elections, left the country to Russia with the children for safety reasons. “I have good friends in law enforcement. And when one body from three letters received data, I’ve temporarily decided not to show where I am. But when the second body from three letters I said exactly what command is given for my arrest, I began to think about how to leave,”— said the opposition leader portal Tut.by referring to the interior Ministry and KGB of Belarus. His wife Veronika Tsepkalo said the same edition that the school where their children study, came to the Prosecutor’s office, which “requested the teachers to write statements.” “As I understand it, they have started the process to deprive me of parental rights,” she said. In the evening, the Prosecutor called this information is false.Photo: facebook.com/veronica.tsepkaloСама Ms. Tsepkalo was left in Minsk, and continues to work in the newly established joint headquarters of the Belarusian opposition. Its key figure, recall, is Svetlana Tikhanovski — was the presidential candidate and the wife of blogger Sergei Tikhanovski. He was going to run for election, but could not submit the documents as serving administrative detention for participation in unauthorized action. Having been released on 20 may, he was arrested again and since then is in prison. He brought several accusations. On Thursday, for example, Mr. Tikhanovski awarded another 15 days of arrest for participation in the picket during the collection of signatures for his wife. Note also that children Tikhanovski for security reasons, was taken out of Belarus and now is in an unnamed EU country.Photo: Sergei Grits / ARV triumvirate of the joint staff of the opposition also includes Maria Kolesnikova, ally of former head of Belgazprombank Victor Babariko, who also tried to become a candidate, but did not get into the papers. Gent��in Babariko as Sergei tikhanovski, is in custody — though in this case we are talking about suspicion of committing several serious financial crimes. On Friday, the investigation has charged the former head of the BGB new charge: now he is accused of receiving a bribe in especially large size the organised group.So, on the eve of the EU delegation to Belarus has issued a statement in which he expressed his “concern at the disregard for basic freedoms and seems to be an arbitrary exclusion of candidates from the electoral process.” The EU called for “the release of all arbitrarily detained political activists,” and also expressed “regret that the invitation to the OSCE Office for democratic institutions and human rights OSCE was sent to Belarus in advance,” and, therefore, observers of the structure, the elections will not be. Shortly before this, on 17 July, the resolution on the situation of human rights in Belarus adopted at the UN Council on human rights. The document criticized the detention of “political and social activists” and “disproportionate and discriminatory restrictions on freedom of expression”. The adoption of the resolution extended for another year the mandate of the special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus.Minsk stood up, the Russian foreign Ministry. The official representative of the Ministry Maria Zakharova said Thursday: “amid the incessant stream of accusations from the West about allegedly Russian trace in the elections in their countries, all of which is unproven, is puzzling what is perceived as a tribute of their own real and not imaginary interference in the internal Affairs of a sovereign state through the initiation of such decisions of the Council.” The Belarusian foreign Ministry also consider the criticism unfounded. “The whole structure of state power in Belarus is aimed to the preparation and holding of the presidential election campaign was in full accordance with the law and respect for human rights,”— said the Minister of foreign Affairs Vladimir Makey.The head of state referred to the US experience, where in some States in the midst of turmoil on the streets was removed by the army. While Mr. Lukashenko, without specifying, pointed to the possibility of artificial destabilization of the situation in Belarus by some external forces. “Any war now start with street protests, demonstrations, and then Maidana. On the square, if its not — and we have a little “couple”— they are pulled from the side. These are professional soldiers, bandits, which are specially prepared, mainly in the framework of private military companies around the world, and make a lot of money on provocations in different States,” he said, mentioning that like this time had occurred in Libya, Iraq and Syria. “It got worse. It’s controlled chaos,”— concluded the President.Earlier in an interview with “Kommersant” Sergei tikhanovski said: “People (in Belarus.— “B”) has reached such a level, to the limit that many nothing to lose and they are ready, even if you have to stand for days, and a nation-wide strike to do. Someone has already even said that if he (Alexander Lukashenko.— “Kommersant”), and will suppress all hard again, and even guerrilla warfare will do.” The politician stated: “once again the people are deceived (in the elections.— “Kommersant”), you are likely going to call for a peaceful long-term protest.” Victor Babariko in an interview with “Kommersant” agreed that “people are tired of the current situation and want change”. However, he noted that the preconditions to the big “Maidan” is not visible, but “the government itself provokes some action and maybe she want to be a harbinger of the “Maidan” was here right now”.”Among the protesters and their leaders was not yet any indication that they plan to use force in the confrontation. Source of escalation may be more power than the protesters,” agrees in conversation with “Kommersant”, Belarusian political commentator Artyom shraibman.According to him, “the authorities have set themselves the task to bring down the protests, therefore, use different tools, including the rhetoric, which should make it clear to people that they (the authorities.— “B”) nothing will stop”. “And there is hope that some part of the disaffected would be home. In principle, this is happening in Belarus before every mass protests. The same applies to external threats. Talk about them to show that this is not a grassroots protest of the people, as something imposed from the outside, and acceded to become puppets in someone’s hands”,— said the interlocutor of Kommersant. However, he doubts that Belarus “will take to the use of the army”: “This is the last Bastion. If we are talking about the use of the army, it means that the country is on the brink of civil war. We have to jump through too many steps to walk”.Pavel Tarasenko, Marina Kovalenko
