A good number of those who are critical of the regime of President Aleksandr Lukashenko have probably felt a certain hopelessness in the last couple of years. The authoritarian leader has cracked down heavily on all criticism and opposition, and opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaja is based in the Baltics. Her husband is imprisoned in Belarus. And with the war in Ukraine, many people in Belarus feel that the abuses and repression in the country have become a little overshadowed in international politics. Svetlana Tikhanovskaja shows off a photo of her husband, Sergej, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2021. Photo: ROMAN VONDROUS / AFP With the award to the human rights defender Ales Byaljatski today, the Nobel Committee is helping to create new attention to the very difficult situation in Belarus. It means a lot to Belarusians who want change. In the speculation before the award, Tikhanovskaja was also mentioned, but some believed that the committee would give the award to a candidate more directly linked to the war in Ukraine. The Nobel Committee therefore chose to focus on human rights. “Europe’s last dictator” Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko was elected in 1994 on promises to fight corruption in the country. Since then, he has introduced an increasingly authoritarian regime, and has refused to step down as president. Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994. Photo: SERGEI GAPON / AFP He is often called “Europe’s last dictator”. At the last election, in August 2020, it was claimed that he had received about 80 percent of the vote. It led to very large-scale protests in which thousands of demonstrators were imprisoned. Most received shorter prison sentences, a good number received long sentences and are still incarcerated. After the election, it seemed that Lukashenko would have to step down, but by using police, soldiers and heavy violence, he managed to stay in office. The political opposition called for a general strike to paralyze society, but the calls did not gain much support. Close ties to Russia Lukashenko meets regularly with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Russia has supported the Belarusian regime militarily, economically and politically, following the protests in 2020. Lukashenko has become very dependent on Putin, and some claim that Belarus is no longer a real independent country, but increasingly resembles a region of Russia. Russia and Belarus have entered into an agreement to develop what they call a “union state”. In the past, Lukashenko has tried to slow down this process, but as he has become more dependent on Putin, the Belarusian leader has to give in more and more to demands from the Russian side. Lukashenko is completely dependent on Vladimir Putin to retain power in the country. Photo: AP Thousands upon thousands of young Belarusians have left their homeland because of the widespread repression. Often it is well-educated people who go to Poland, the Baltics or other European countries. They see no future in a country where the police can knock on the door at any time because someone has written something the authorities don’t like on social media. Prohibited colors The vast majority of independent organizations and movements have been closed by the authorities, because they fear that there may be criticism of the country’s leader. People in Belarus were creative in their support for the opposition. These washes are from autumn 2020. Photo: Twitter The opposition’s colours, red and white, are prohibited from being used on clothes and elsewhere. It happened after the big protests in 2020 when the demonstrators more or less painted Minsk in red and white. A taxi driver I spoke to in Minsk said he had been jailed for two weeks for painting the hood of his car red and white. During the large demonstrations in Minsk in autumn 2020. Photo: – / AFP The world follows Ales Byaljatski helped start the human rights organization Vyasna (Spring). This is the largest and most important organization of this type that Belarus has had. Vyasna has helped and assisted those who have been arrested and persecuted by the authorities. Byalyatski has been nominated for the peace prize several times before. Lukashenko regards him as one of his main enemies and has kept him imprisoned for many years. Ales Byalyatski is currently imprisoned for his fight for human rights in Belarus. Photo: VIKTOR DRACHEV / Afp He is now in custody awaiting trial. He has great authority among those who criticize the regime. Even as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, he can hardly expect a fair trial and sentence in Lukashenko’s regime. But the international condemnation of what is happening in Belarus is going to be strong. The world will follow. See URIX: Join Europe’s Last Dictatorship.
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The country where the opposition’s colors are banned – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
