Martin Uggla: Maira Mora convinces people that double standards is the real EU politics

It is bad for the EU’s reputation, but is even worse for the situation with human rights in Belarus, notes the head of Östgruppen Martin Uggla.

Human rights organization Östgruppen demands dismissal of Maira Mora, the Head of the EU Delegation to Belarus. Human rights defendants assume that with her actions Maira Mora violates basic EU values and official EU policy. Östgruppen calls its government to raise the question about Maira Mora’s dismissal in Brussels.

In the interview with the “EuroBelarus” Information Service the head of Östgruppen Martin Uggla informed that the statement of his organization hasn’t yet caused huge resonance in Sweden and “no official reaction followed yet”.

- As to Belarus, a lot of reaction happened after the publications in independent media; there is positive reaction on the part of the Belarusan human rights organizations, civic activists, NGOs. Belarus received our statement very positively, and it seems that Belarus expected such kind of address.

- What about the EU’s human rights organizations? Is there an understanding of Östgruppen’s actions?

- Yes, there is; our assessment is shared and supported by our colleagues – human rights defendants in European countries.

- Have the EU representative offices answered the statement?

- There was one comment in Radio Liberty, where they said what they have always been saying – about the fact that the constantly raise the question about observing human rights in Belarus; that they will continue referring to the problem of human rights and so on. I agree that the representative offices raise this question; but the problem is that EU officials in Belarus discuss human rights issues with human rights defendants, opposition politicians, and civil society representatives. In the dialog with the authorities different kind of questions are raised, and such problems, as political prisoners are not voiced. Thus, we can talk about the double standards policy, and since representative offices is the “face” of the EU, the actions of the mission make us think that double standards is the real EU politics. It is bad for the EU’s reputation, but is even worse for the situation with human rights in Belarus.

- And how does Östgruppen sees the solution to this problem? Is it only in Mora’s dismissal?

- If the EU representative office performs such actions with the Brussels’s approval, it is not only the problem with the head of the representative office, but also the problem of political level. It means that we need to raise the question in Brussels, as the official EU’s stance re observation of human rights everywhere in the world hasn’t changed.

Our government also states that it steadily follows fundamental EU values. But at the same time over the last 2 years Sweden has been keeping silent about the situation with human rights in Belarus.

We need consistency; that is what EU’s policy lacks today. We will follow the development of the situation, we will be trying to bring the stated information to decisions step by step, and insist on fulfillment of the standards stated earlier by the EU.