MINSK, 22 November (BelTA) - There have been no political crimes in Belarus under which people were prosecuted, and therefore there can be no political prisoners in the country, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview with BBC, BelTA has learned.
“We do not have political crimes under which we have prosecuted people. We do not have them [political prisoners]. These are the people who have violated the Belarusian law,” stressed the head of state. He also drew attention to the fact that the number of the so-called political prisoners, mentioned by the British journalist in an interview with the president, has a tendency to grow. “How many of them? There were 300, 400, 600. Now it's 870. Tomorrow Fisher [Julie Fisher was appointed U.S. ambassador to Belarus, but due to the openly hostile actions of the United States and actions not fitting into the concept of diplomacy and professionalism, she did not receive Belarus' agreement to her appointment to Minsk] from the United States will tell you: “There are 980 of them. You will be echoing it.”
Answering the journalist's question, Aleksandr Lukashenko also spoke about Maria Kolesnikova. “It is your agent. She violated the law. It is not me who accused her. I am not the judge. There is the law and it must be observed,” the president said.
“She is in prison. Isn't it revenge from your side?” the journalist asked.
“I am not the kind of person who exacts revenge. Remember this if you want to understand me as a person. I don't fight women, I say it often. I'm not a man of revenge, because I grew up in such conditions and I understand what revenge is. Therefore, do not attribute this to me and do not say words if you do not understand the situation that is happening here,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
