Index on Censorship weekly news round-up
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Friday, 07 July 2023
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Alyaksandr Lukashenka meets international journalists in Minsk. Photo: belta.by
What is it about the end of June and beginning of July that gets people restless?
In the northern hemisphere, it may be the weather that gets people agitated. In the southern hemisphere, it may be the depth of the cold that makes people revolt.
Whatever the reason, this time of the year sees a flurry of independence days, when colonies and territories celebrate kicking out their former overlords.
The fourth of July is perhaps the best known date of independence season but countries from Algeria to Venezuela also celebrate their freedom at this time of year.
Belarus celebrated its independence this week, on Monday 3 July. It is a date mired in controversy, along with much else in the country, such as the legitimacy of the presidency of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, whom many call Europe’s last dictator, but which the man himself denies ([link removed]) .
Lukashenka had a very obvious hand in the independence day controversy.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country’s independence was marked on a different day. On 27 July 1990, the country’s government issued the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus, marking its exit from the Soviet Union. For the next five years, Belarusians celebrated throwing off the Soviet shackles at the end of July.
In 1994, the country held its first democratic presidential election which Lukashenka won convincingly. In 1996, he announced a referendum on seven constitutional issues.
Four of the questions had been included by Lukashenka himself and seem an odd cocktail viewed in retrospect. One asked whether the country should abolish the death penalty while another asked the populace whether property could be freely bought and sold in the country.
The third perhaps acted as a marker for Lukashenka’s future conduct – it asked the Belarusians to vote on giving his presidential decrees the force of law, giving him near-total control over the budget and extending his term to 2001.
The last question he added proposed switching independence day from 27 July to 3 July, the date in 1944 when the Soviet army liberated Minsk from the Nazis. It was perhaps an insight into where Lukashenka’s loyalties lay.
In the event, only the last two of these questions were given a seal of approval by the Belarusian public.
However the results of the referendum were immediately contested with Lukashenka’s opposition claiming that rigorous electoral process was not upheld and up to half the votes had been falsified. The parliament’s speaker at the time, Syamyon Sharetski, called the outcome "a farce and violence against the people".
Since Lukashenka’s disputed re-election to the presidency for a sixth term in August 2020, many have been thinking about the country’s independence once more. A chilling reminder of this came this week from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Tsikhanouskaya is widely believed by independent observers to have won the 2020 election but now lives in exile in Lithuania; some countries have recognised her as the elected leader of Belarus.
Tsikhanouskaya’s husband, Sergei, was originally supposed to contest the 2020 election but he was arrested and his candidacy denied. Sviatlana stood for election instead while her husband languished in prison.
Sviatlana has now tweeted ([link removed]) that she has been told that her husband has died in Zhodino prison, although no hard evidence has been forthcoming. She says she has not heard from him since 9 March. Index hopes the rumours are unfounded.
In the past few weeks, there have also been rumours about Lukashenka’s health ([link removed]) . However, these have been disproved by his role in the Putin-Prigozhin standoff ([link removed]) . Lukashenka held a bizarre news conference, fittingly at Minsk's Palace of Independence, this week to big up his role in brokering the supposed deal. Speaking with the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg ([link removed]) , Lukashenka said that despite the deal, Prigozhin was not in Belarus and might be in St Peterbsurg. Or Moscow. Or somewhere else. Lukashenka also talked about his willingness to use Russia's nuclear weapons. Puppet rather than powerbroker, it seems.
The outlook for an independent Belarus still looks a long way off. This week, Index has spoken with Andrey Bastunets, the chair of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, about the role of independent media in the country ([link removed]) . The organisation has been dubbed “extremist” by Lukashenka and now people linking to its website or even liking a post on its social media feeds can face jail.
Despite this, Bastunets argues that “rumours about the death of the independent media in Belarus are exaggerated”. Let us hope this is the case.
Mark Frary, associate editor
** Death of a storyteller
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Photo montage: Osabadash/Natalia Royanova
In this heartbreaking article, John Sweeney remembers Ukrainian novelist turned war crimes investigator Victoria Amelina (above), who has died in a Russian rocket attack on a watering hole favoured by journalists.
Read his moving tribute here ([link removed]) .
** Hong Kong targets exiled activists
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Photo: The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
The Chinese Communist Party continues its efforts at transnational repression after the Hong Kong Police Force issued arrest warrants against, and offered rewards for the capture of, eight activists living in exile, including Christopher Mung, Finn Lau (pictured) and Nathan Law. At a briefing this week, they vowed that "the voices of Hongkongers will never be eliminated ([link removed]) ". Read our CEO Ruth Anderson's views on this shocking development ([link removed]) and our official statement ([link removed]) on efforts to widen the reach of the country's National Security Law.
** 20 July | A night for Afghan journalists
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Since the Taliban's takeover in 2021, Afghanistan has plunged into an era of darkness and fear, with journalists bearing the brunt of oppression and censorship. In their relentless pursuit of uncovering the truth, these brave journalists face constant threats, intimidation and violence, forcing them into hiding and silencing their voices. Index on Censorship and AnotherWay Now invite you to join us on Thursday 20 July for a powerful evening to highlight their plight.
The event will start with a panel discussion featuring Zahra Joya, a journalist from Afghanistan and founder of Rukhshana Media, and Emma Graham-Harrison, Senior International Affairs Correspondent for The Guardian & The Observer. The discussion will be chaired by the Bafta-nominated presenter Keme Nzerem and will end with a reading of a poem from Afghan-born poet in exile Suhrab Sirat. A drinks reception will follow.
Tickets are free but booking is essential. Click here ([link removed]) to get your ticket.
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** From the archive
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** Hope in the darkness
Jemimah Steinfeld
Winter 2021
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Nathan Law, one of the leaders of Hong Kong’s protest movement, has this week learned he faces an arrest warrant and a reward for his capture. In 2021, he spoke with Index editor-in-chief Jemimah Steinfeld ([link removed]) , saying he was convinced that the repression will not last forever. We also published an extract from his latest book.
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