Quite the thing: Belarusians file petitions

Belarusian fans of foreign travel are collecting signatures on popular web platform change.org. Polish MEP Marek Migalski has supported their initiative.

In his statement the Polish politician expressed certainty that easier EU visa rules for Belarusians would contribute to the country`s democratization. According to Mr. Migalski, the EU has repeatedly invited Minsk for talks on easier visa rules, but "Aliaksandr Lukashenka has constantly ignored these calls, acting to the detriment of his people."

The petition states that Belarus has been keeping the lead in the number of Schengen visas received for years. Making the visa regime easier provides not only reducing its cost (from € 60 to € 35) but also a simplified procedure of filing documents. Some 4,000 people have already signed the petition at www.change.org. The document was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the presidential Administration.

Due to their actions on change.org women of the Republic of South Africa put an end to the practice of so called corrective rapes. Corrective rape is a hate crime in which a person is raped because of their perceived sexual or gender orientation. The common intended consequence of the rape, as seen by the perpetrator, is to "correct" their orientation, to turn them heterosexual, or to make them "act" more in conformity with gender stereotypes. Similarly, authorities inhibited the use of unhealthy meat additives in American school canteen.

More goals

Lyubou Kavaliova, the mother of Uladzislau Kavaliou, executed for alleged participation in organisation of the terroristic act in Minsk metro, collected more than 100,000 signatures for abolishing the death penalty in Belarus.

More than 18,000 persons urged the International Ice Hockey Federation to suspend its 2014 Ice Hockey Championship in Minsk, Belarus until that country’s long-time president Lukashenka releases all the country’s political prisoners and issues a moratorium on the death penalty in Belarus.

About 11,000 put their signatures for the preservation of Belarusian wetlands. In the years of wide-ranging melioration more than 1.5 million hectares of wetlands were drained, and 70% of the whole area of Belarusian wetlands were cut off. The authors of the petition are especially concerned about the Resolution of the Council of Ministers which assigns promising peat deposits, situated within the borders of existed or designed wildlife preserves of local or republican importance.

More than 5,000 demand to prohibit house services workers to seal cats into basements to die an agonizing death of starvation and thirst.

4,000 people would like to request PayPal system and make the Republic of Belarus a supported country in the system as soon as possible. PayPal is one of the most popular payment processors, and is the top-priority choice for most webmasters and their existing and prospective clients.

Only 57 signatures "against" the Belarusian dictatorship

Collecting signatures is over on four petitions, including the petition for protection of political prisoners (1102 votes).

130 signers wanted to prevent Aliona Lanskaya from presenting Belarus at Eurovision song contest in Baku. In their opinion, the result of the final of Eurofest was falsified.

61 persons called on the Belarusian authorities to release Anton Surapin and Siarhei Basharymau who were suspects under the case of teddy bear troop drop. And only 57 urged the International Monetary Fund to address the democratic concerns of Belarus and not to provide a Stabilization Loan until the Belarusian authorities initiate immediate change.