From 7th till 18th December COP15 conference took place in Copenhagen (Denmark). During those days the city was visited not only by governmental delegations, but by representatives of NGOs and social movements as well.

NGO representatives and people from social movements came to voice their opinion about global climate crisis and to make their voice heard at official climate negotiations. Negative consequences of climate crisis are already felt around the globe: it's enough to mention more often and severe natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, droughts) and related crop failures and destructions. Many thousands of people became climate refugees already and hundreds of millions or even billions may face such fate in the future.

It is evident that contemporary social and economical system leads humanity to a dead end. As 15 years passed after UNFCCC came into force, we see that this system is not going to rebuilt itself and only deepens the crisis. Activists tried to voice the demand of "system change - not climate change" in Copenhagen.

But their voices were silenced brutally. From the very beginning of COP15 police took unnecessary security measures to frighten climate activists. Cars and buses were stopped and searched at the Danish border and in Copenhagen to prevent people from coming in time and bringing needed equipment (like computers for indymedia center). People were stopped in the city and searched without any reason. Police unlawfully raided mass accommodation places, social centers and private apartments (night raids were also made) to frighten activists and confiscate materials and equipment for peaceful demonstrations (like banners or bikes).

Peaceful and legal demonstrations were repeatedly attacked by police. Demonstrants were arrested, beaten, pepper-spayed. Total amount of detained and arrested during one week of protests reached almost two thousand people. At the day of biggest demo - December 12 - 968 persons were detained. Most of them were released from police stations without any charges; this fact clearly shows the absence of reasons for detention. Detained were humiliated by police: they had no possibility to visit toilet for several hours, had nothing to eat and to drink, were kept at cold places, beaten and threatened. Rights of detained to inform family or employer about detention and to contact a lawyer were rejected.

We know all these facts from the first-hand experience: representatives of Belarusian Party of Greens were also subjects to searches on the streets, night police raid and preemptive detentions.

On 26 November Danish parliament passed legislation which gave police sweeping powers of 'pre-emptive' arrests and extended fines and custodial sentences for acts of civil disobedience. International participants of climate demonstrations left Denmark, but new laws remained, and Danish people continue to face this reality of permanent state of emergency guaranteed by law.

At the moment 7 protesters are still kept in Danish prison awaiting the court. There is a Belarusian citizen among them. As far as we know the facts all these people are either guiltless and arrested without reason or they are facing absurd charges (like Tannie Nyboe and Stine Gry Jonassen who have been arrested and will face charges for shouting "Push!" during the demonstration on 16 December).

Belarusian Party of Greens protests against gross violations of basic human rights and freedoms in Denmark.

Belarusian Party of Greens demands from Danish government to set free all political prisoners (including Belarusian national) immediately. We express our support to Danish non-governmental organizations and social movements in their struggle for abolition of repressive laws.

No police repressions!

Yes - for solidarity!

Yes - for climate and social justice!

Read Original text (in Belarusian) of Statement of Belarusian Party of Greens concerning repressions against climate protesters in Copenhagen.