Belarusian democracy movement

The Belarusian democracy movement is an umbrella term used to describe groups and individuals in Belarus which seeks to challenge the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko.

The former flag of Belarus, used by various opposition groups.[1][2]

Background
See also: Human rights in Belarus and Censorship in Belarus

According to The Independent, Alexander Lukashenko has ruled the country in an authoritarian fashion since 1994.[3] The United Nations Human Rights Council has stated that Belarusian political system is "incompatible with the concept of human rights".[4]

History

Charter 97
Main article: Charter 97

Charter 97 is a human rights group taking its inspiration from the 1997 declaration calling for democracy in Belarus. The document – whose title deliberately echoes the Czechoslovak human rights declaration Charter 77 twenty years earlier – was created on the anniversary of a referendum held in 1996, and which, in the words of the organisation of the same name, declares: "devotion to the principles of independence, freedom and democracy, respect to the human rights, solidarity with everybody, who stands for elimination of dictatorial regime and restoration of democracy in Belarus."

Jeans Revolution
Main article: Jeans Revolution

The Jeans Revolution was a term used by the opposition in Belarus and its supporters to describe their effort and aspirations[5] on democratic changes in Belarus, in the period leading up to the presidential elections of 2006.

2010 presidential election
Main article: 2010 Belarusian presidential election

After the 2010 Belarusian presidential election, up to 40,000 people[6] protested against Lukashenko. Up to 700 opposition activists, including 7 presidential candidates, were arrested in the post-election crackdown.[7]

Several websites of the opposition and opposition candidates were also blocked or hacked.[8] Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Talk, many email services and LiveJournal were also blocked.[9] The headquarters of Charter97, an opposition group and website, was stormed by Lukashenko's security forces and all of its staff were arrested.[10]

According to the Independent, Lukashenko's security forces went after his opponents "with a ferocity that would not have looked out of place in Soviet times".[3]

2011 protests
Main article: 2011 Belarusian protests

A series of protests influenced by the Arab Spring took place in 2011. As a result of these protests, on 29 July, the government banned assemblies and gatherings.[11]

2012 protests

On 25 March 2012, several thousand people participated in an anti-government rally in Belarus on the anniversary of Belarus's short-lived independence from Russia in 1918.[12] Belarusian state television reported that there were 200 protesters in Minsk.[13]

2017 protests
Main article: 2017 Belarusian protests

Since the ongoing economic recession, continuing since the last series of protests in 2015, due to falling gasoline prices and that year a law was passed taxing the unemployed.[14] Roughly 470,000 Belarusians are obliged to pay the tax but only about 10% have since it was issued.[14]

Approximately 2,500 protesters[15] filled the streets in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, on 17 February to protest a policy that required those who work for less than 183 days[16] per year to pay USD$250 for "lost taxes" to help fund welfare policies.[17] (This converts to approximately p.5 million—a half-month's wages.)[14] The law has proven unpopular and has been mocked in the public as the "law against social parasites".[14] On 19 February, another 2,000 demonstrated in the second city of Homieĺ.[17] Both gatherings were peaceful and were not disrupted by police. Smaller demonstrations were held in other cities.[15]

On 25 March, opposition leader Vladimir Nekliayev, who was set to speak at the main protest, was also allegedly stopped at the border in the morning on his way to Minsk.[18]

The government defended the mass arrests and beatings against citizens by alleging that the police had found "petrol bombs and arms-laden cars" near a protest in Minsk.[19]

2020 presidential election and protests
Main articles: 2020 Belarusian protests and 2020 Belarusian presidential election

In June 2020, a lowered approval of Lukashenko amid his handling of the coronavirus pandemic led to street protests and the blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky labeling Lukashenko as a cockroach as in the children's poem "The Mighty Cockroach", with the slipper signifying stamping the cockroach. Many opposition candidates registered for the next election as a result of the movement, but many of the candidates were arrested.[20]

Mass protests erupted across Belarus following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election which was marred by allegations of widespread electoral fraud.[21][22] Subsequently, opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya claimed she had won the presidential election with between 60 and 70% of the vote[23][24] and formed a Coordination council to facilitate the peaceful and orderly transfer of power in Belarus.[25][26]

Opposition parties and organisations
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

International support

Organizations
  • The European Union has enforced sanctions against Lukashenko's government.
  • NATO has enforced sanctions against the Lukashenko administration.

Governments

The following governments have given diplomatic support to the Belarusian democracy movement:

People
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See also

References
  1. https://meduza.io/en/feature/2020/08/14/here-s-why-are-protesters-in-belarus-are-flying-a-white-and-red-flag
  2. Ulasik, Valeriya; Shalayeva, Alena; Wesolowsky, Tony (4 August 2019). "Unflagging Protest: Belarus's Opposition Inspired By A Pensioner And Her Outlawed Banner". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  3. In Europe's last dictatorship, all opposition is mercilessly crushed. The Independent on 8 March 2011
  4. The United Nations Human Rights Council: Reports of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus Archived 25 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine of 2006 E/CN.4/2006/36 of 16 January 2006, and 2007 (GE.07-10197 (E) 190107)
  5. A 2005 Iryna Khalip interview Archived 16 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Belarus election ends with violent protests". cbc. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  7. "Belarus: 7 presidential candidates face 15 years". Kyiv Post. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  8. "Хакерская атака главного оппозиционного сайта Белоруссии осуществлялась из Петербурга". Gazeta.ru. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  9. "Facebook, Twitter, YouTube blocked in Minsk". Interfax-Ukraine. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  10. Schwirtz, Michael (21 December 2010). "Clashes in Belarus Show Resilience of Both Sides". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  11. ["Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)]
  12. Karmanau, Yuras (25 March 2012). "Thousands in Belarus Protest Against Government". ABC News. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  13. "Belarusian Police Counted only 200 Protesters on Dzen Voli". Telegraf. 26 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  14. Makhovsky, Andrei (17 February 2017). "Thousands of Belarussians Take to the Streets to Protest 'Parasite Law'". Reuters.
  15. "Spate of Protests Breaks Out in Belarus". Associated Press. 19 February 2017.
  16. Andrei Sannikov (15 March 2017). "'We are not slaves': Europe's most repressive state is reawakening". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  17. Makhovsky, Andrei (19 February 2017). "Belarus Tax Protests Spread Beyond Capital". Reuters.
  18. "Scores detained after defying Belarus protest ban". Al Jazeera.
  19. "Belarus Protests: Government Defends Mass Arrests". BBC. 26 March 2017.
  20. "'Slipper Revolution' Shakes Belarus | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  21. Jones, Mark P. (2018). Herron, Erik S; Pekkanen, Robert J; Shugart, Matthew S (eds.). "Presidential and Legislative Elections". The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.001.0001. ISBN 9780190258658. Retrieved 21 May 2020. unanimous agreement among serious scholars that... Lukashenko's 2015 election occurred within an authoritarian context.
  22. "Lukashenka vs. democracy: Where is Belarus heading?". AtlanticCouncil. 10 August 2020. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. However, the vote was marred by allegations of widespread fraud. These suspicions appeared to be confirmed by data from a limited number of polling stations that broke ranks with the government and identified opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the clear winner.
  23. "Belarus election: Exiled leader calls weekend of 'peaceful rallies'". BBC News. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  24. "Belarus opposition candidate declares victory | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News". www3.nhk.or.jp.
  25. https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/681364.html
  26. https://apnews.com/2654151658e4a01e36248a71a3911324
  27. Zíta, Martin (14 August 2020). "PM Babiš calls for repeat presidential election in Belarus". Remix.
  28. "Baltic States Urge New Election In Belarus, Call For EU Sanctions". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  29. "Baltic States Urge New Election In Belarus, Call For EU Sanctions". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  30. "Doing nothing to help Belarus 'is not an option,' Lithuanian FM tells Euronews". Euronews. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  31. "Białoruś. Premier Mateusz Morawiecki rozmawiał z unijnymi przywódcami". Wirtualna Polska (in Polish). 11 August 2020.
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