Alexander Lukashenka refuses to recognize the Union of Poles headed by Anzhalika Borys

Alexander Lukashenka refused to consider the application of the delegates of the congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus (UPB), calling on him to help developing better relations.

A month ago, on 15 March Anzhalika Borys was re-elected head of the unrecognized by the authorities Union of Poles in Belarus at the VII congress in Hrodna. The participants of the congress adopted an address to Alexander Lukashenka suggesting to establish a dialogue between the organization and the state institutions, which, in their view, was to promote official registering of the UPB.

It has become known today that the Administration of Lukashenka returned the UPB activists the address with a comment, saying the head of the official Union of Poles is Yuzef Luchnik, and the rest can’t speak on behalf of the organization.

According to Ihar Bantsar, press secretary of the unrecognized Union of Poles in Belarus, this reply proves the authorities don’t want to give the organization a legal status and will continue persecuting its members.

The Union of Poles in Belarus was split some years ago with the help of the Belarusian authorities. The part of the organization leading by Yuzef Luchnik is officially recognized and obeys the authorities. The UPB headed by Anzhalika Borys, supported by the Polish government, is being persecuted in Belarus.

By the way, the Polish authorities repeatedly said one of the conditions of developing better Belarus–Poland relations was recognition of the Union of Poles leading by Anzhalika Borys.