Leo van Doesburg

An Update on the Runup to Presidential Elections in Belarus The republic of Belarus is getting ready for presidential elections. They are scheduled to take place on the 9th of August. Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is running again for president; often dubbed “ Europe’s last dictator ”, he is expected to win (as he did in the 2001, 2006, 2010 and in the 2015 elections). The regime is infamous for its human rights violations and the authoritarian style of governance of the Lukashenko administration .   In the Economic Intelligence Unit Democracy Index 2019 (EIU), the country is ranked as “authoritarian” .    The abuses concern journalists, civil society activists and independent media as well as ordinary citizens who protest. In 2012, I already wrote an article on the human rights situation in Belarus when I visited one of the constituency congresses of our friends from the Belarusian Christian Democracy party.   Unfortunately, nothing has changed...

40 Members of the European Parliament sent a letter to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, to the President of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea, and to the President of the Senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu. They asked them to respect the sovereignty of their own people and to organize without delay the referendum on the definition of marriage that was requested by 3 million Romanian citizens. The referendum is currently being postponed by more and more procedural delays.

We were all shocked today by the terroristic attack in Paris. Two gunmen attacked the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, by killing 12 people including the editor and cartoonists. It was a well-organized attack, the three suspects have not been caught yet at this moment.  This evening at the Luxembourg Square (in front of the European Parliament) as in other European cities, a solidarity gathering was organized in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Paris. The square was filled with hundreds of people from all different backgrounds, religions or beliefs, who stayed in silence to reflect and/or pray.   With friends from "For the Voiceless" who organized a solidarity events for the victim of terrorism in Iraq and Syria on December 2014, I distributed free candles. This was very much appreciated.  My most heartful thoughts go to the victims and their families. We must be realistic to the big threat of barbaric religious fu...

Despite the adoption of a  resolution on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights  on 10 December 2013 by the European Parliament (EP), there is currently a new attempt to push through what has become known as the “Estrela Agenda”: abortion on demand, restriction of freedom of conscience, compulsory sex education at primary and secondary school etc. Source: Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe

After a months-long intense debate about the ‘Report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights’ (also called the Estrela report), a symbolic fight has been won today for democracy, for children, and for life. A majority of the European Parliament have just rejected the highly controversial report (with 334 votes in favour, 327 against and 35 abstentions). This is a historic setback for the abortion lobby and all their related stakeholders, as they have well-oiled machineries, huge EU-funded budgets and, therefore, great power of impact in political agenda setting. ( Source European Dignity Watch )

On October 22, the majority of the European Parliament voted to refer back the controversial Report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (also called the Estrela report) back to the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM Committee). The reason behind the referral was that the text as presented at that time was considered to be unacceptable and revision was recommended in order to seek consensus among political groups. Surprisingly, however, the Estrela report is back again on the agenda of the plenary session in the European Parliament, with just some minor changes. Not only were the serious concerns expressed by the democratic majority of the Parliament rejected by the supporters of the Report, but the Chair of the FEMM Committee breached the Rules of Procedures to avoid any amendments being tabled in the Committee and before the plenary vote.   Who is ruling in Europe? The ideological agenda of certain Pro-Choice movements, supported by the interes...

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It was of course never to be expected that the European Commission, as a reply to critical questions from the European Parliament with regard to the generous funding it is handing out to ILGA-Europe (a homosexual lobby group), would openly acknowledge to have committed a misuse of budgetary funds. But if replies to parliamentary questions are evasive and not to the point, this can be viewed as a clear indication that the Commission finds it very difficult to explain to the public what it is doing. Click here for an interesting article with the official asked questions of MEP Godfrey Bloom to the European Commission, the answers of different European Commissioners. Unfortunately it shows a lack of transparency in spending money, a strange relations with the Civil Society and a low level of democracy. This all in times of economic crisis where lots of money seemed to be wasted.......  (Source: turtlebay and beyond)

On Saturday, 17 December, the party Belarusian Christian Democracy (BCD) held its fourth Constituent Congress in Minsk. The congress gathered 108 delegated from all over Belarus and more than 350 guests, including heads and representatives of diplomatic missions from Great Britain, USA, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and guests from Austria, Hungary, Ukrain and Russia. Pavel Sieviarynets, the BCD co-chairman, accused to three years of labour camp, regretfully, could not be present at the Congress and the president Vital Rymasheuski was detained shortly after the congress. Fortunately Vital was released after spending five hours at the police. The BCD therefore strongly requested to release and the rehabilitation of Pavel and the 13 other political prisoners: Ales Bialiatski, Andrei Sannikau, Dzimtry Bandarenka, Mikalai Statkevich, Dzmitry Dashkevich, Eduard Lobau, Mikalai Autukhovich, Yauhen Vaskovich, Ihar Alinevich, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Mikalaj Dziadok, Artsiom Prakapenka a...