The movement began on 24 May 2020 after a blogger was arrested by the authorities for calling President Lukashenko a “cockroach”. On 19 June, the president ordered the arrest of his main rival, Viktar Babaryka. Belarusians took to the streets to protest against these arbitrary arrests. They demanded the release of political prisoners and free and regular elections. The demonstrations are massive and intensify with the re-election of Lukashenko with 80% of the votes on 9 August 2020. The result is deemed rigged by opponents. The government’s denial of the pandemic and the poor management of the health crisis finally broke the camel’s back and thousands of people took to the streets in the first week of August. The demonstrators set up barricades in whole areas of Minsk. The government severely repressed the uprising : one protester was killed by the police on the second night after the elections and the video of his death was posted on social networks. Journalists are also targeted, their equipment is destroyed during the demonstrations. Arrested protesters are tortured. The rallies bring together all generations and Belarusian youth are particularly active in the movement. Mothers whose children have been arrested are also very visible. On 15 August, workers demonstrated against the government and researchers, intellectuals, journalists and businessmen joined the protest. On 16 August, a large demonstration took place in Minsk with 100 000 people. The public channel Belarus 1 goes on strike on 18 August and stops broadcasting, the striking journalists are fired and replaced by Russian journalists. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the president and his government. The movement lost momentum in the second week of August due to repression and conflicts within the militant community. At the beginning of the school year on 1 September, the students went on strike and the demonstrations resumed. At the end of November, the demonstrators changed their strategy and gathered in small groups throughout the city in order to destabilise the police. They applied this strategy from 29 November onwards during a march called the “Neighbours’ March”. On the days of the rallies (every Sunday), the government blocks Internet access in large parts of the country, as well as access to main squares, metro stations in the centre of Minsk and government buildings. On 10 December, Belarus bans overland travel out of the country, the opposition denounces a desire to “hide” the crimes committed. On 10 January, Lukashenko announces a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution, but the dates of the referendum are not announced until a month later, on 12 February. The government finally apologised for the police abuses and opened a commission of enquiry which proved to be ineffective because of its opacity.
Lukashenko is seen as the last dictator in Europe.
Many countries do not recognise the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko. Some countries take sanctions against Belarus and its leaders (Switzerland, USA, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia…). Others provide support without taking concrete sanctions, as is the case of the French government.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy states that “the elections were neither free nor regular” and that “the state authorities used disproportionate and unacceptable violence”. The European Union therefore does not recognise Lukashenko’s re-election and tries to push the Belarusian authorities to accept a plan that includes an end to the repression, the release of arrested demonstrators, the establishment of a National Council composed of government and opposition members, and new elections. Lukashenko refused the plan and the EU imposed sanctions on Belarus. The EU also condemns the arrests and intimidation of journalists. The President of the European Commission announced that she had mobilised 2 million euros to support the victims of repression and 1 million euros to finance the independent Belarusian media.
In Russia, opinions are divided : Senator Melnichenko, who is close to the Russian president, recognises Lukashenko’s re-election, while the leader of the far-right party opposed to Putin welcomed the “agony of the Lukashenko regime”. Russian oligarchs are involved in financing the opposition in order to initiate future privatisations in Belarusian industry.
100 000 demonstrators in Minsk on 16 August 2020
1 000 police officers resign out of 4 000 in the country
Tortures : 450 cases
Deaths : at least 4
Injured : at least 4 000
Arrests : at least 36 000
Political prisoner : 610
Situation
The movement began on 24 May 2020 after a blogger was arrested by the authorities for calling President Lukashenko a “cockroach”. On 19 June, the president ordered the arrest of his main rival, Viktar Babaryka. Belarusians took to the streets to protest against these arbitrary arrests. They demanded the release of political prisoners and free and regular elections. The demonstrations are massive and intensify with the re-election of Lukashenko with 80% of the votes on 9 August 2020. The result is deemed rigged by opponents. The government’s denial of the pandemic and the poor management of the health crisis finally broke the camel’s back and thousands of people took to the streets in the first week of August. The demonstrators set up barricades in whole areas of Minsk. The government severely repressed the uprising : one protester was killed by the police on the second night after the elections and the video of his death was posted on social networks. Journalists are also targeted, their equipment is destroyed during the demonstrations. Arrested protesters are tortured. The rallies bring together all generations and Belarusian youth are particularly active in the movement. Mothers whose children have been arrested are also very visible. On 15 August, workers demonstrated against the government and researchers, intellectuals, journalists and businessmen joined the protest. On 16 August, a large demonstration took place in Minsk with 100 000 people. The public channel Belarus 1 goes on strike on 18 August and stops broadcasting, the striking journalists are fired and replaced by Russian journalists. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the president and his government. The movement lost momentum in the second week of August due to repression and conflicts within the militant community. At the beginning of the school year on 1 September, the students went on strike and the demonstrations resumed. At the end of November, the demonstrators changed their strategy and gathered in small groups throughout the city in order to destabilise the police. They applied this strategy from 29 November onwards during a march called the “Neighbours’ March”. On the days of the rallies (every Sunday), the government blocks Internet access in large parts of the country, as well as access to main squares, metro stations in the centre of Minsk and government buildings. On 10 December, Belarus bans overland travel out of the country, the opposition denounces a desire to “hide” the crimes committed. On 10 January, Lukashenko announces a referendum on the drafting of a new constitution, but the dates of the referendum are not announced until a month later, on 12 February. The government finally apologised for the police abuses and opened a commission of enquiry which proved to be ineffective because of its opacity.
International reactions
Lukashenko is seen as the last dictator in Europe.
Many countries do not recognise the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko. Some countries take sanctions against Belarus and its leaders (Switzerland, USA, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia…). Others provide support without taking concrete sanctions, as is the case of the French government.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy states that “the elections were neither free nor regular” and that “the state authorities used disproportionate and unacceptable violence”. The European Union therefore does not recognise Lukashenko’s re-election and tries to push the Belarusian authorities to accept a plan that includes an end to the repression, the release of arrested demonstrators, the establishment of a National Council composed of government and opposition members, and new elections. Lukashenko refused the plan and the EU imposed sanctions on Belarus. The EU also condemns the arrests and intimidation of journalists. The President of the European Commission announced that she had mobilised 2 million euros to support the victims of repression and 1 million euros to finance the independent Belarusian media.
In Russia, opinions are divided : Senator Melnichenko, who is close to the Russian president, recognises Lukashenko’s re-election, while the leader of the far-right party opposed to Putin welcomed the “agony of the Lukashenko regime”. Russian oligarchs are involved in financing the opposition in order to initiate future privatisations in Belarusian industry.
Key figures
100 000 demonstrators in Minsk on 16 August 2020
1 000 police officers resign out of 4 000 in the country
Tortures : 450 cases
Deaths : at least 4
Injured : at least 4 000
Arrests : at least 36 000
Political prisoner : 610
Last update : 24/10/2021
articles
Future articles will appear here
