At a meeting on current domestic political issues and preparations for political campaigns, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko spoke about the reasons for pardoning several dozen people whom opponents classified as political prisoners, BELTA reports.
"We see that the main thing for them there is to get grants, money. They don't care about anything, even about the issues for which they should live. Well, take the issues of the so-called political prisoners. Well, how many times has it been said: we have no political articles, and we have not convicted anyone under political articles, because they simply do not exist. No - "political prisoners". Okay. Well, then you fight for these "political prisoners", - the head of state noted.
Alexander Lukashenko recalled that he recently made two decisions, which were publicly announced, to pardon several dozen so-called political prisoners. "Well, they (the opponents - Ed.) would be happy, they would thank at least. No, they are concerned with proving to themselves and abroad that they have made a huge contribution and "forced the dictator" to make such decisions, - the President noted. - First of all, no one can force me. This is out of the question. I often tell journalists and others: you know me well, I have never made a decision on orders or under pressure."
As for the pardoning of specific people, these were his decisions, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized, and there were different reasons for that. "Someone got sick, someone can no longer go for walks there, unlike how they briskly wandered along the avenues here. Well, anything can happen in life. Someone no longer poses a danger at all. Someone completely went crazy, his brain turned - he went out there (in 2020. - Ed.), tried to turn something upside down on the streets of Minsk. Well, anything can happen in life. We saw such people. Why keep them there, feed them at public expense. We let them go. They are under the complete control of law enforcement agencies here," the Belarusian leader said.
He noted that instead of thanking him, opponents abroad, on the contrary, are not happy with this development of events. "They are not happy that these people came out. Why aren't you happy? Well, the Americans and others tell them: guys, where have you been, what is your contribution? None. Well, we need to talk to them about this openly," said Alexander Lukashenko.
