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Monika Mannerström Skog

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Posts by Monika Mannerström Skog:

Conference Political Campaign and Women’s Organization Goals

Kyiv September 24-26, 2021

The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation held the conference Political Campaign and Women’s Organization Goals for the Women organization of our sister party European Solidarity in Ukraine.

This partly digital conference gave the women organization the opportunity to learn and discuss more about the work in political campaigns as well as to hear local speakers on topics addressing their organization goals. During the weekend they were also to expand successfully their network inside the party. 

Six years in Belarusian prison for “Learning a rhythm” with street drummers

 

 

31-year- old Alyaksey Sanchuk joined a street drummer group during mass protests after election. He also went for several rehearsals to learn drum rhythm but eventually turned out as supporter without playing. During a rehearsal Alyaksey Sanchuk together with the whole group got arrested and detained because of hanging around with them. He even got tortured.

All group was taken to police station for interrogation. Most of them got detained for a day and then released. Unfortunately, Alyaksey Sanchuk got a 15-day sentence and no release. Instead – he was judged six years in prison and got an outspoken threat on his family. Then support turned the other way around with a flash mob on social media on his behalf, saying “I was learning a rhythm.”

Ukrainen National Day of Independence

 

Youth Organization Solidarna Molod of our sister party European Solidarity celebrating 30th Anniversary National Day of Independence in Kyiv, August 24th 2021. Hjalmarson Foundation take part in their celebration of independence and for a free society.

 

30th Anniversary for Ukraine sovereignty on August 24

For centuries Ukraine struggled for their independence. Through bloodshed in fighting, Holodomor with millions of Ukrainian citizens dying , Stalin’s decision of planned economy and repressions for several years. On August 24 1991 Ukraine finally won their independence.

The words of Ukrainian citizens today are that they still value their freedom highly. The sweetness of victory in 1991 is still in remembrance, same as the people who gave their lives through the years for independence, freedom of speech and democracy.

 

Employees of the private news agency BelaPAN detained by Belarusian police

On August 18th Belarusian police detained several employees of the agency that has distributed news on the continuously vibrant opposition movement after the crucial election one year ago. BelaPAN’s websites can no longer be reached after police searched both agency’s office and homes.

Director and chief editor Iryna Leushyna, accountant katsyaryna Boyeva and former director Dzmitry Navazhylau were detained and placed in prison suspected for acting against public orders when providing news about opposition activities in Belarus. The website Naviny.by presents news about another BelaPAN journalist, Alyaksandr Zaytsau, that police confiscated his cell phone, a PC hard disc, a tablet computer, documents and several business cards.

Moscow court in spirit of the recently assumed extremist-law

The Russian authorities are zealously to follow the recently assumed extremist-law that judge out citizens supporting a so called “extremist organizations” – such as the Anti-corruption organization jailed opposition-leader Aleksei Navalny started.

In the case of Kira Yarmysh, the spokeswomen of named organization, Moscow court has sentenced her to “restricted freedom” for 18 months. The court sentence is a parole-like sentence based on allegedly calling for the violation of anti-pandemic restrictions.

Murmansk authorities creating artificial obstacles in election registration

Former team member of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, Violetta Grudina, launched a hunger strike while being forcibly placed in COVID-19 treatment facility in Mid-July and after knowledge that her documents for candidacy ‘politically’ disappeared.

Her candidacy documents were handed to the hospital’s chief physician to pass registration documents on to Grudina’s legal representative so that he could register Violetta Grudina’s candidacy to Murmansk Election officials. The registration’s deadline were August 9.

After treatment Grudina found out that the chief physician of the Hospital, Arkady Amozov, was registered candidate of the ruling United Russia party in Election officials. It got obvious that the sudden loss of her documents had a political meaning.

After obstacles with the Murmansk court decision forcing her to hospitalization and a hunger strike, Violetta Grudina finally got a letter August 4 from Election officials confirming that her papers were received.

More sanctions against Belarus Lukashenko regime a year after Election day

One year after Belarus Election day the West world declared tighter sanctions against the regime of Aleksander Lukashenko. The United States, Britain and Canada announced new trade and financial sanctions on Belarus and made their own declarations.

The United States Biden administration pointed out the Belarusian potash producer Belaruskali as target for sanctions, who is a major source of income for Lukashenko regime. Prominent businesspeople who support the Lukashenko regime and 15 other companies which are affiliated with them got blacklisted.

Britain and Canada announced sanctions likewise and added the prohibition on purchase of transferable securities and money-market instruments issued by the Belarusian state and its state-owned banks.

For a year now, the worldnews has been filled of witnesses from the opposition that many crimes against civil rights has been shown in Belarus by Lukashenko regime. More than 32,000 people have been detained, thousands beaten by police on the streets and in detention, some with torture alleged.

The Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya fled the country after election day to Lithuania. The opposition continues their work for civil rights and free expression through offices opened in several European cities.

European Council President Charles Micheal tweeted; “One year ago today, the right to freely elect their leader was taken away from the people of Belarus. EU stands firmly with you and will continue to do so. The legitimate call for a democratic future and respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights must finally be heeded.”

 

 

 

Undemocratic law signed against “undesirable” organizations in Russia

The new bill signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin into law on June 28th will criminalize “undesirable” participations with non-governmental organizations, five days after the Federation council approved it. This force of actions in avoiding opposition against Putin regime is a clear sign of what is going on as undemocratic progress in Russia.

The bill declares that Russian citizens may face up to six years in prison if found guilty of taking part in organizing “undesirable” activities of foreign non-governmental organizations. It also declares that individuals that voluntarily stop cooperating with these organizations or assist in shutting down its activities, will not face trial. In many ways the actions of Putin regime remind us of the time when iron curtain was a fact in Europe and that is a clear threat against democracy for Russian citizens.