Belarus' anti-nuke campaigners appeal to Medvedev

Anti-nuclear campaigners in Belarus have sent a petition to the Russian president, urging him to drop talks about the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus, BelaPAN reported.  The petition bears signatures of more than 5,000 Belarusians, said Protestant priest Pyotr Malanachkin, a leader of the campaign in Horki, Mahilyow region.


The petition reads that the decision of Alyaksandr Lukashenka to build the plant “does not reflect the wish of other Belarusians that were exposed to a significant dose of radiation against their will after the Chernobyl nuclear accident 23 years ago.”


The petition calls on Dmitry Medvedev to pay heed to Chernobyl-related disease rates in Belarus and the population’s anti-nuclear sentiments.


“We, Belarusians, want to live in a peaceful country and have friendly relations with our neighbors instead of being hostage to nuclear ambitions,” the petition says.