Meeting to discuss legislation improvement

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko held a government meeting to discuss legislation improvement in the country on 28 January.

“Law enforcement and other government agencies prevented our country from falling into the abyss of another color revolution, no matter how much the foreign sponsors of the protests might want it,” said the President.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that a lot has been done in recent years to liberalize the legal framework in the country. “The law should not only respond promptly to any violations, but also to preempt any possible threats. This is the most important thing,” said the head of state.

He stated that, according to citizens’ proposals, a number of norms necessary for this purpose have already been included by MPs in the new codes on administrative responsibility and also in the amendments to criminal legislation. “Is this enough or do we need something else, for example, in part of combating extremism and terrorism? Should we revisit the legislation on mass events and other acts related to public safety? Do we need to take a look at how it is done abroad, in France, Germany, and neighboring Russia? The answers to these questions must be found by the bodies that are now on the front line of the struggle against the attempts to destabilize the situation in the country,” the Belarusian leader said.

According to the head of state, the State Secretariat of the Security Council coordinates the relevant work, the Prosecutor General's Office supervises compliance with the law, while the Supreme Court ensures judicial review of materials prepared by law enforcement and other authorized bodies.

“Therefore, I would like to hear from the attendees of today’s meeting the most balanced proposals on the subject we are discussing today. We must not get carried away by individual and departmental interests, but think about some global things, primarily about the consequences for the country's security. It is important to understand what we really lack in legislation to reliably identify and prevent any action directed against the state,” said the Belarusian leader.

Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke about successful work of the special forces to prevent terror attacks in Belarus: “I understand that there are dissenters. But there are law violators as well. Those protests were joined by many, especially militant groups. The State Security Committee will soon make public the facts about how they tried not only to undermine the situation, but also to blow up houses and streets in our country and where that ammunition and explosives were coming from. Those chains have been fully detected, and people who carried it across the border have been detained”.

Aleksandr Lukashenko did not reveal names and groups. “We have identified some of them already. I think that in the near future we will be ready to make this information public,” said the President.

“If they had blown up even one house, then our protesters in Minsk, who were so much concerned about police violence, would have understood a lot. Big thanks to the KGB and the police. They together neutralized those figures. Frankly speaking, we suspect some groups, but we are not yet sure that we have identified them all. Actually we cannot know them because it is not a problem to send people with weapons, ammunition and explosives here, just like to any other country,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The head of state stressed that the actions of the authorities were primarily aimed at protecting the country. “In no way can we let our guard down yet. People will never forgive us for our carelessness. The fact that we acted harshly, defending our country, has already been understood by many. Everyone else will understand it soon. Don't blame me for defending my country. Those are my constitutional duties. I will defend it, whatever it costs me,” the Belarusian leader said.

At the meeting the President responded to the criticism of the forthcoming Belarusian People’s Congress by Belarusian opposition figures in exile.

“The Belarusian People’s Congress is the topic of the day now. Is this something new? No, this will be the sixth edition of the congress. It always produced results. All those who wanted a dialogue could meet and discuss the things they wanted at these dialogue platforms on the ground. We have summed up their proposals and will forward them to the Belarusian People’s Congress. We have faced criticism regarding the essence and agenda of the congress... This criticism is coming from these fugitives, first of all. They ran away and started talking nonsense from there,” the head of state said.

“Why are they doing it? They declared a boycott to the Belarusian People’s Congress. After that they announced an ‘alternative congress of the diaspora’. The so-called opposition and fugitives refused to recognize the Belarusian People’s Congress altogether. Why are you lamenting today? You don’t recognize it. Who will elect you to this Belarusian People’s Congress, who will invite you to this congress? You have announced an alternative event, so go ahead and hold this ‘congress’ abroad,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

The President added that people from the opposition can also be invited to the Belarusian People’s Congress, if they want to engage in a dialogue and work for the benefit of the country. “Delegates have already been elected, but if someone from the political opposition wants to hold a discussion for the good of the country, they can also get an invitation, as we have agreed. We have nothing to hide. The society must know our position,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that more and more people openly declare their support for the incumbent President and the authorities. “They even criticize me for saying that I do not want to be President anymore. I have heard that and stopped saying that. This has not changed my stance, but this is the opinion of people, my supporters. Secondly, they want us to openly and honestly convey their position; the authorities should speak up, they should not be afraid and play around. We are probably doing it too, including at today’s meeting,” the Belarusian leader said.

He stated that there have always been people in Belarus who do not support him, but it is necessary to take into account the opinion of the majority. “We knew about such people, there were a lot of them - half a million who never voted for the incumbent President, including in the last election. However, you need to admit that about six million people voted for the current government, for the incumbent President,” the head of state concluded.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that people who broke the law should be dealt with using legal instruments, as is done all over the world. In recent years, much has been done to liberalize legal norms in the country. “However, the recent events raise an important question: haven’t we gone too far? Legislation should not only promptly respond to violations, it should also anticipate possible threats. And this is the most important thing,” the President said.

At the suggestion of the public, a number of vital norms have already been introduced into the new codes of administrative procedure, as well as in amendments to the criminal legislation. “Is this enough or do we need to do more, for example, in combating extremism, terrorism? Maybe we should as well return to the legislation on mass events and other legal norms related to public security? Maybe we should study the legislation of France, Germany or Russia?” the head of state asked.

“And in general, I suggest that you simply incorporate these norms from the French, German or Russian legislation or legislation of other countries into our legal setting. Then no one will reproach us. We will draw on legal norms of the stronghold of civilization and adapt them in our country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“So let’s learn from the experience of Germany, France, the United States of America. Just do not shoot at the woman who went through four wars and defended the interests of the United States of America [Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who served 14 years in the military and participated in a number of armed conflicts in various countries]. This is what we should not learn from them,” the head of state added.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized the importance of defending the country. “As I have already said, we will not be able to get back what we lose. This will mean the end for our nation, us, and our children, grandchildren, and so on. Today we should set it out in our legal norms and communicate it to people so that everyone understands it,” the President said.

According to the President, it is necessary to spell out responsibility and punishment for each violation: “If you block traffic (it mostly happens in Minsk), you will get this punishment. If you take part in an unauthorized rally and start violating public order, you will get a warning and a fine. If you do it again, you will get a prison sentence. The same way we actually did before.”

The head of state once again drew attention to the responsibility of parents: “Parents whose children take to the streets should be put in the crosshairs. So that later we are not accused of crushing or hitting anyone.”

“And again, let’s be honest: we have also screwed up plenty of times, everyone sitting at this table. Therefore, let’s work to correct our mistakes so that people will see that we hear even a minority, an insignificant minority... And those who raised their hand against the country and the people should be left without a hand,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.