Igor Tour – why the end of Baskov’s disqualification angered the fugitives

The end of the five-year suspension of Dmitry Baskov caused a new wave of outrage in the opposition Telegram channels. In the new issue of the Propaganda project, ONT political commentator Igor Tur called this reaction an example of selective attitude to laws and international decisions, and also explained why he considers sanctions against Belarus not only a limitation, but also a “time of opportunity”.

On September 10, Baskov’s five-year suspension imposed by the International Hockey Federation expired. Igor Tour decided to see how opposition Telegram channels reacted to this news.

On September 10, it appears that his five-year suspension by the International Ice Hockey Federation has expired. Baskov was forbidden to participate in any national and international hockey activities, he said.

According to the author of the draft, the international federation introduced the restriction after complaints from representatives of the so-called democratic forces, who accused Baskov of being undemocratic.

“It has nothing to do with hockey, but the international federation has started,” he said.

Tour recalled that in 2021, Dmitry Baskov left the post of head of the national federation and left the Board of Directors of the KHL. Thus, he fulfilled the order of the international federation and actually retired from hockey for five years.

However, representatives of the fugitive opposition continued to insist that this was not enough.

“All of them there just tore to pieces – no matter the expired disqualification, laws, even which are not Belarusian, and everything else,” he said.

Opponents of Baskov began to argue that he still can not return to hockey and should not even write publicly about the fact that he served a suspension.

As a result, Internet activists proposed to block the senator’s Telegram channel or at least leave as many negative reactions and emojis as possible under his publications. Tour called this reaction an example of selective attitude to rules and international decisions.

The advocates of so-called democracy do not stand for the rule of law as a principle, but only for those decisions that correspond to their political views.

“Realism is to see pseudo-democrats shouting not for the rule of law in general, but only for laws they subjectively like,” he said.

He cited sanctions against Belarus as another example. The opposition regularly accuses Minsk of circumventing the restrictions, although unilateral sanctions by individual countries are not mandatory for a sovereign state.

“Neither practically nor legally, Minsk is obliged to comply with these unilateral sanctions, which are not sanctioned by any international organization,” he said.

The restrictions imposed by Washington or Brussels are binding primarily on those in the relevant jurisdiction or subject to its requirements.

According to Igor Tur, sanctions can become not only a limitation, but also an opportunity for the development of their own industry.

“Sanctions are in many ways a time of opportunity. Opportunities including for people to better understand how world politics works, to which the world economy is often subordinated, he said.

In the face of external pressure, the country has two options: submit to the restrictions or use the situation to strengthen its independence.