Libereco and eleven other civil society organisations from Switzerland demand the resignation of the Belarusian honorary consuls in Switzerland.
On the initiative of the German-Swiss human rights organisation Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights, twelve civil society organisations are calling for the resignation of the honorary consuls for the Republic of Belarus in Switzerland.
The honorary consuls Hermann Alexander Beyeler (Pratteln, Canton Basel-Landschaft) and Andrey Nazheskin (Givisiez, Canton Fribourg) work on a voluntary basis. By exercising their office, they support the Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko. The latter is not only responsible for thousands of human rights violations in his own country, but also supports Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law and has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
For example, Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine from Belarusian territory and to this day, Ukraine is regularly attacked with missiles launched in Belarus. Beyeler and Nazheskin are jointly responsible for the suffering of countless people through the exercise of their office, as they continue to represent the Lukashenko regime abroad and thus legitimise its actions.
“The honorary consuls have the blood of the torturing Lukashenko regime on their hands”
“The fact that these gentlemen continue to place themselves in the service of a criminal dictatorship is outrageous. Despite all the crimes, they continue to cling to their office, which I condemn in the strongest terms. The honorary consuls have the blood of the torturing Lukashenko regime on their hands. The honorary consuls must decide whether they see themselves as democrats or as henchmen of a brutal dictator,” says Lars Bünger, President of Libereco Switzerland.
Together with other Swiss organisations, Libereco is therefore urging the Belarusian honorary consuls Hermann Alexander Beyeler and Andrey Nazheskin to resign from their positions as honorary consuls of the Republic of Belarus in Switzerland with immediate effect.
Download the open letter in German or French
Libereco had previously confronted the honorary consuls by email. In Germany, two of the four honorary consuls of the Republic of Belarus have already resigned in recent months. Already after the brutal suppression of the protests following the rigged presidential election in August 2020, Libereco had asked them to do so in by email and letter, but at that time without any reaction.
Note, 6 March 2023: We welcome Timothy von Landskron’s step in January 2023 to resign from his position as Belarusian Honorary Consul in the Principality of Liechtenstein. It is a very important sign of solidarity with all those politically persecuted in Belarus. We have removed him as the addressee of the Open Letter.
