Two Polish Politicians Deported from Belarus

16.08.2007. Tags: deportation.
Source: Charter`97.

15 August vice–speaker of the Polish Senate Krzysztof Putra was refused of entering Belarus. Krzysztof Putra accompanied by the deputy head of the Senate office Romuald Lankowski were going to Hrodna for participation in the events dedicated to the Day of Polish Army. Today in the Hrodna region the advisor of the Prime Minister of Poland Michal Dworcik was detained. After his documents being checked he was released but the policymaker hurriedly left the country .The leader of the largest Polish party Civil Platform Donald Tusk and leader of the parliamentary group Solidarity with Belarus Robert Tyszkevich were also refused of entering Belarus.

Commenting on the above-mentioned situation a certain anonymous staff-member of the department of the Hrodna regional committee for state security in his interview with the official BelTA agency reported that ‘at 11.50 a.m. (the Belarusian time)the vice –speaker of the Polish Senate Krzysztof Putra accompanied by the deputy head of the Senate office Romuald Lankowski made an attempt to cross the Belarusian-Polish boarder through the checkpoint .They remained there from 11.50 a.m. until 12.20p.m. The boarder guards explained the politicians that in compliance with the Belarusian legislation they were not allowed to enter our country. Moreover, those Polish citizens had been previously introduced to this resolution by the foreign ministry of the Republic of Belarus. Neither Krzysztof Putra nor Romuald Lankowski expressed their indignation. At 12.20 p.m. they went back.’

The KGB official declared that ‘according to the information available with the KGB today the leader of the largest Polish party Civil Platform Donald Tusk and leader of the parliamentary group Solidarity with Belarus Robert Tyszkevich are to attempt crossing of the state boarder of the Republic of Belarus Their entering Belarus has also been banned.’

’The purpose of the Polish politicians’ visit to Belarus is taking of joint actions with the non-legitimate wing of the Union of Poles of Belarus. Furthermore, today is the Day of Polish Army and maybe they got certain plans for this date, the KGB official informed. Moreover, soon the electoral campaign is to be launched in Poland and Tusk and Tyszkevich are trying to make potential electorate – certain groups of Polish minority in Belarus - vote for their party,’ he remarked.

’The actions of the Polish politicians, senator Tusk and deputy Tyszkevich in particular, are considered as a deliberate provocation and lobbing of their party’s interests through the group of ethnical Poles headed by Anzhalika Borys’, the security official stressed. According to him the politicians are well aware hat they will not be allowed to enter Belarus and nevertheless the make a premeditated scandal for showing how they ‘supposedly struggle for the rights of ethnic Poles and the Belarusian authorities interfere with their intentions’.

It is to be mentioned that in the summer 2005 senator Tusk being the leader of the Civil Platform visited Hrodna and spoke in support for the unacknowledged by the Belarusian authorities Union of Poles of Belarus.