Union of Poles in Belarus

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The Union of Poles in Belarus (Polish: Związek Polaków na Białorusi, Belarusian: Саюз Палякаў Беларусі) is an organization located in the Eastern European country of Belarus. The group, which has a membership of 20,000 people, represents the Polish minority in Belarus, numbering about 400,000, as per official data (and much higher according to unofficial estimates).

Lately, the group has received international attention due to the Belarusian Government cracking down on the group and their activities. The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has accused Poland and the European Union of trying to use the group to create an uprising similar to what took place in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan.

There Union has two presidents since 2005. Andżelika Borys is opposed by the government of Belarus and Józef Łucznik is supported by the government.

[edit] External links

• Głos znad Niemna (Polish) -- Voice from over the Niemen, the Unions official newspaper
• News website (Polish)
• Bordering on madness:Belarus mistreats its Polish minority, The Economist, Jun 16th 2005
• Polish-Belarussian relations STATEMENT OF THE POLISH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, July 28th, 2005
• Embassy of Belarus in the USA - On State Policy of the Republic of Belarus in the Sphere of Interethnic Relations - Specifics of the Developments Around the «Union of Poles in Belarus»

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