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Friday, 21 June 2024
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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been a loud and persistent voice in calling for change in Belarus.
Photo: Pavel Krichko. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
As Belarus approaches the 30th anniversary of Aliaksandr Lukashenka's autocratic rule, repression by the regime against those who stand for democracy and freedom is not getting any less severe.
This summer marks three decades since Lukashenka's first inauguration and four years since the Belarusian pro-democratic revolution erupted following his controversial 2020 presidential election win over political newbie Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Despite the ongoing democratic movement led by Tsikhanouskaya, which keeps Belarus on the international agenda, the regime relentlessly cracks down on civil society both inside the country and in exile.
As of today, more than 1,400 political prisoners are behind bars in Belarus. During a recent visit to Washington, Tsikhanouskaya highlighted the scale of the repression by comparing these 1,400 prisoners to what would be 45,000 political prisoners in the United States. Many activists argue that support for Belarusians who flee their homeland could be stronger. Maria Rudz, co-chair of Razam, a Belarusian diaspora group in Germany, reported that out of 1,000 asylum applications from Belarusians, only 40 received positive decisions.
It is also crucial to remember that those jailed on politically motivated charges in Belarus endure inhumane treatment in prisons. Many imprisoned leaders of the pro-democratic movement are held incommunicado ([link removed]) : Siarhei Tsikhanouski for 471 days, Maryia Kalesnikava ([link removed]) for over 493 days, Mikalai Statkevich for 498 days, Maksim Znak ([link removed]) for 499 days, and Viktar Babaryka for 502 days. Lukashenka is acutely aware that these leaders have inspired both Belarusians and the democratic world since the summer of 2020. Now, serving unjust sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years, they are deprived of freedom of speech and kept in silence as Lukashenka’s hostages.
Nevertheless, Belarusians inside the country and in exile have loud voices and activists continue their work from abroad. This persistence frustrates the regime, which cannot silence Tsikhanouskaya, her team, leaders of the diaspora and Belarusian NGOs. As a new tactic, the regime has begun conducting trials in absentia since 2023. On 20 June, Franak Viačorka, one of Tsikhanouskaya's advisors, was sentenced in absentia to 20 years and fined 17,000 euro ([link removed]) . Viačorka says that such attempts to disrupt their work are not fruitful: “It was not a trial but a farce. Lukashenka is a fraud, and his terror will not stop us from fighting for a free Belarus.”
Sadly, this has become common practice. Human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka from Viasna ([link removed]) , who served an unjust sentence in Belarus and subsequently left the country, received another five-year sentence, in absentia. Several of his colleagues from Viasna remain behind bars, including Valiantsin Stefanovich ([link removed]) , Marfa Rabkova ([link removed]) , and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski ([link removed]) .
The regime sometimes manages to put pressure on Belarusians even across international borders. The Serbian High Court has ruled that activist Andrei Hniot should be extradited back to Belarus ([link removed]) due to charges brought by the regime. Hniot has filed an appeal, citing persecution by the regime. Following the court's decision in Belgrade, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya immediately called for support for Hniot ([link removed]) through an open letter.
Jana Paliashchuk, engagement officer
To get an insight into the work that Tsikhanouskaya is doing, readers in London can attend the screening of the British documentary The Accidental President ([link removed]) about 17 July at the Bertha DocHouse in The Brunswick in London's West End. The movie, which follows Tsikhanouskaya as she is thrust onto the world stage as Belarus’s de facto head of state in exile, will be followed by a Q&A session with directors Mike Lerner and Martin Herring.
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** Dublin conference | Say no to SLAPPs
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Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are abusive legal threats and actions brought by powerful and wealthy people against public watchdogs with the aim of silencing them. Due to the high cost of defending a case, public watchdogs can effectively be silenced even when what they have said is accurate and in the public interest. When SLAPPs successfully drive information out of the public domain, it is much more difficult to hold power to account. SLAPPs have proliferated globally in recent years and Ireland has previously been identified ([link removed]) as a jurisdiction of concern.
Index and its partners are holding a free, day conference on 24 October at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin where delegates will hear from a wide-range of stakeholders, including campaigners, academics, journalists, lawyers and politicians from across the island, as we discuss how SLAPPs have manifested themselves in an Irish context. The full line-up of speakers will be announced in due course. Click here to book a free place ([link removed]) .
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Our organisation is looking for two exception individuals to join us in the fight to promote freedom of expression around the world. The new role of communications and events manager ([link removed]) will be at the heart of the organisation, helping to lead the communications strategy through social media management, events and media. We are also recruiting an editor for our magazine and website ([link removed]) and next Monday is the last day to apply. The role offers a chance to work with some of the biggest names in journalism and the arts, as well as finding and commissioning underrepresented voices and stories. Come and join our small but talented team.
** From the Index archives
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** In Iran women’s bodies are the battleground
by Kamin Mohammadi
April 2023
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[link removed] week, Index was appalled to hear that jailed activist Narges Mohammadi has had an extra year added to her already long sentence. Narges won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for fighting against the oppression of women in Iran. In our spring 2023 issue we heard from novelist Kamin Mohammadi ([link removed]) (no relation) on how women's bodies have become the battleground in the country.
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