Banned officials: One should rest in Belarus!

The list of people who are forbidden to enter the countries-members of the European Union includes 175 Belarusian officials, judges, representatives of law-enforcement authorities and journalists. However, editor of the magazine "Belaruskaya Dumka" Vadzim Hihin has confessed to Euroradio that Europe has never attracted him as a place to rest.

Vadzim Hihin: “I have never rested at the territory of European countries, apart from Bulgaria and Montenegro, which introduced Shengen. I never planned to go on vacation there, as it is expensive. Maybe someone plans France, Spain or Italy - we are not such rich people to have a rest in expensive countries like these. So, these sanctions have not affected my vacation plans in any way”.

Vadzim Hihin was included into the list of banned officials only in the beginning of this year, he hasn't been on vacation yet. He has not planned it either. However, he has an invitation from his friends in Montenegro and Crimea. And good impressions of his mother who has just had a rest at one of Belarusian sanatoriums. He is now trying to decide which variant to choose. In any case, he says, he likes active type of rest in exotic countries. Europe does not meet these criteria. He has also told in which way Europe may be of any interest for him.

Vadzim Hihin: “Well, Eifel Tower, Brandenburg Gates, Coliseum - so what? All these places are obsolete, covered with moss. If Bedouins placed tents near Coliseum, camels ate grass under the Eiffel Tower, and local Christians turned into national minority, this would have been interesting, but sad. However, everything goes towards this. While Europeans impose sanctions on Belarusian journalists, there are so many problems inside Europe that the proverb about seeing a speck in somebody else's eye without noticing a beam in one's own perfectly illustrates the situation”.

Despite this, Vadzim Hihin is carefully watching the development of consideration of his complaint with regard to including him into the black list of banned persons in the Strasbourg Court. He receives daily mailing from the European court and has calculated that a certain decision on his case should be taken in autumn.

Chairman of the Council of Republic Anatol Rubinau has been in the list of banned officials since 2006. He has never appealed this to the court and is not going to do that. He says that the fact of existence of such a list is a political decision and no European court will go against such decision. As for rest, the senate's Chairman has had no vacation yet this year. When he takes one, he is going to spend it in Belarus as he has had enough foreign trips for his life. 

Anatol Rubinau: “I prefer to spend my vacations in Belarus for the last two years - this climate suits me better etc. I have not decided yet, where exactly. As for my vacation activities, these are mostly photography, writing... I have a lot to do”.

Besides, what concerns writing, the Chairman of the Council of Republic writes not only during vacation time - he writes new songs throughout the year. He sang one of his recent songs specially for Euroradio's listeners. The contents are, let us say, philosophic. 

Pestnja good.mp3

A steady resident of the black list - Chairman of the CEC Mikalaj Lazavik - will also spend his vacation in Belarus.

Mikalaj Lazavik: “Staubtsy district, Tulionka village. I have a country house there, an ordinary country house with a toilet outside and a well in the yard. There is a river and a forest there, to give a rest to one's soul, let me say”.

He also proudly told that he had never been at southern seas, except once when he was forced to - he prefers fishing in Belarusian lakes.

Mikalaj Lazavik: “I have never been to Turkey, Egypt or Black or Red sea. All this does not attract me. I like active type of rest with a fish-rod by the river, or with a basket in the forest. This is real rest for me! Sitting on a sea-shore with black glasses on, looking into the sky - this is not for me”.

Euroradio: “Why looking into the sky - there are so many girls with almost no clothes on around!”

Mikalaj Lazavik: “Well, there should be limits for this also. One cannot live without it, but there should be some limits. I like really active type of rest and I can get it the village”.

He added that his boss - the CEC Chairperson Lidziya Yarmoshyna - is also on vacation now, in Drazdy near Minsk, not in her dream-city Paris.