US congressmen and EU deputies have written an open letter to the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Mr. Rene Fasel, to remind him of the values of the IIHF and demand the withdrawal of the 2021 IIHF Championship from Belarus due to the violent actions of the government led by Alexander Lukashenko against Belarusian citizens.
The European Parliament letter to IIHF was published by Viola von Cramon, EU Parliament deputy, on her official website.
“Dear Mr. Fasel,
The International Ice Hockey Federation defines integrity as the “quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change”.
We, members of the European Parliament, who adhere to the same principles, are confident that nowhere is your definition as true as it is in sports, and nowhere does it fall so short of expectations as in tyrannical regimes.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, a brutal dictator and a self-proclaimed ice hockey-lover goes against all moral principles that your federation and the true spirit of sportsmanship hold dear:
Your charter commands that “there shall be no abuse or discrimination against the human dignity of a person”… yet Lukashenka and his regime have imprisoned, forced in exile, and illegally detained thousands of his own brave citizens who stood up against injustice and terror.
Your charter warns that “any form of harassment[…] physical, verbal or sexual abuse; moral or mental injury; acts of violence or illegal activity will not be tolerated”… yet Lukashenka and his regime have harassed, beaten, molested, viciously tortured, and raped women and men who stood up for their fundamental rights.
Your charter urges not to “act in a manner likely to damage the IIHF’s reputation or bring ice hockey into disrepute”… yet Lukashenka’s close friend and the head of the National Hockey Federation is allegedly complicit in the murder of a young man – Raman Bandarenka – who stood up for the symbol of change and freedom.
Dictators like Lukashenka do not respect sports as you do, they exploit it to validate their brutal regime and simulate legitimacy. The International Olympic Committee is now painfully aware of this undeniable maxim and started taking measures against the Lukashenka regime.
Your Federation too has the responsibility to live up to its own principles, not validate brutality and make sure that the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is not held in Lukashenka’s Belarus nor is it relocated to Russia, which remains the only source of Lukashenka’s legitimacy. The European Parliament, in a previous letter and, more importantly, in the resolution adopted on September 17, 2020, has already urged you to withdraw the World Championship from Lukashenka’s Belarus where democracy is not respected and human rights are brutally abused.
Dear Mr. Fasel, we believe you will be able to demonstrate the same level of high integrity that we grew accustomed to from your athletes. The “puck” is in your court.” the letter read.
It's worth noting that the protests against Lukashenko's government have not stopped in Minsk for several months in a row. Many people are convinced that the current head of state won the election through fraud, usurping the power in the country.