After massive popular protests in Belarus, the Lukashenko regime has intensified its crackdown on civil society, with media personalities bearing the brunt. It remains to be seen how long the Lukashenko regime will be able to sustain itself by repressive means.
Doctors and journalists reveal the truth, and the authorities go on a persecution spree
In Minsk, Belarus, the trial of journalist Borishevich and doctor Sorokin resumed on February 22 in a local court, which began on February 19 with much attention, as it marked an unprecedented level of repression by the Lukashenko regime against civil society, especially media journalists.
Bolishevich is a female journalist for the Belarusian online media outlet TUT.BY. This media outlet is famous for its six-month coverage of the situation in Belarus, especially the popular protests. Despite pressure from the authorities, emergency doctor Sorokin revealed to journalist Bolishevich the real cause of death of the murdered man named Bondarenko, which was that Bondarenko had traces of violence in his blood and on his body. However, both the police and Lukashenko himself claimed that Bondarenko died because of alcoholism. Authorities have accused doctor Sorokin of illegally releasing medical information to the public.
The killing of Bondarenko on Nov. 12 last year sparked a new wave of protests in Belarus. Bondarenko, 31, was pushed into a parked car and taken to the police station after a confrontation with those suspected of being plainclothes police officers when they tried to tear down a red and white flag, a symbol of the popular protest movement and Belarusian independence, in a Minsk neighborhood that evening. Bondarenko died in the hospital later that day from his serious injuries. Doctors at the hospital said there was no hope of saving Bondarenko when he was brought to the hospital.
On Feb. 22, a court in Gomel, the second-largest city in eastern Belarus, also sentenced three protesters to five, six and eight years in prison. Their ages ranged from 17 to 29 years old. Authorities charged the three with preparing Molotov cocktails and attacking police during anti-government demonstrations last August.
Courts are like assembly lines, and all sides are concerned about the sentencing of the journalists of the Belarusian TV channel
Trials and sentences against activists are now a daily occurrence in Belarus. Many media believe that the courts under Lukashenko’s control are like assembly lines on a production floor. In another high-profile case, a court in Minsk on Feb. 18 sentenced two journalists from the Belarusian TV network to two years in prison each. The two young female journalists were live in their apartment during last November’s protests when military police burst into the house and arrested them.
“Belarusian TV is based in Warsaw and is funded by the Polish Foreign Ministry. The media outlet, which broadcasts via satellite to Belarusian territory in Belarusian and Russian, has a huge reach. Since the outbreak of the anti-Lukashenko demonstrations, Belarusian authorities have been refusing to grant press accreditation to Belarusian TV, Radio Liberty and other media outlets. The head of the “Belarusian TV”, Romashevskaya, said that the journalists of the station have been arrested in Belarus up to 160 times last year.
Polish President Duda demanded the immediate release of the two female journalists. Duda also called on the European Union, NATO and the United Nations to respond to the Lukashenka administration’s freedom abuses.
Persecution culminates in raids on journalists’ associations
Belarusian military police also conducted mass searches of the homes and offices of dozens of media and human rights and trade union activists on Feb. 16. Bastuntsi, chairman of the Belarusian Journalists’ Association, said the military police took computers and other office equipment from the journalists’ association, as well as documents and even seals. Although no one was arrested, he said, the searches showed the authorities were stepping up their crackdown on various independent media outlets.
A court in Minsk also opened a trial Feb. 17 for former presidential candidate Babaliko and a group of his colleagues, as well as volunteers from his campaign headquarters. Babaliko, the governor of Belarus’ Gazprom Bank, had been considered the best hope to challenge Lukashenko in last summer’s presidential election. But Babaliko, 58, was arrested just two months before the election vote.
Babaliko’s son, several other key members of his campaign headquarters, were also arrested, including Kalesnikova, a female musician considered a key leader in last year’s demonstrations. Kalesnikova’s defense attorney, along with several other lawyers, had their licenses revoked by Lukashenko authorities a few days ago.
The diplomatic missions of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States in Belarus issued a statement Feb. 17 calling on the Lukashenko regime to stop the persecution. The foreign ministers and Culture ministers of Belarus’ neighbor Ukraine issued a joint statement condemning the Lukashenko regime’s crackdown on the media and persecution of journalists.
Some Belarusian human rights groups say more than 30,000 people have been arrested and 256 listed as political prisoners in more than six months of protest demonstrations. Based in Warsaw, the influential Polish legal daily believes this is the highest wave of political persecution since Lukashenko took power in 1994. Lukashenko is particularly keen to punish journalists, and many independent media outlets have borne the brunt of this.
Opposition loses main street, flash mobs replace mass protests
On the two days off, February 21 and 20, there were still some demonstrations in the form of flash mobs in some parts of Belarus. The main demands were mainly in support of arrested people and protests against persecution, with protests concentrated in residential neighborhoods and other places. The kind of mass demonstrations that took place in the streets of the city center a few months ago are no longer visible in Belarus. Today’s demonstrations were attended by only a few or a few dozen people. Many protesters are reluctant to give their names to the media or even to hide their faces.
Gihanovskaya, who challenged Lukashenka in last August’s presidential election and now lives in exile in Lithuania as a symbol of Belarusian opposition forces, said on Feb. 21 that the opposition is now unable to organize mass demonstrations in the main streets because of the difficulty of resisting violence by the military and police. She stressed that pressure on the Lukashenko regime should be maintained and that mass protests are likely to resume after the spring.
She also criticized the Western world, including the European Union, for downplaying sanctions, which the Lukashenko regime has scoffed at. She called on the West to be more supportive of Belarus’ independent media, trade unions and human rights activists. Lithuanian President Nauceda, for his part, has recently put forward Gihanovskaya as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Under international pressure, the International Ice Hockey Association decided a month ago to reschedule the World Ice Hockey Championship, which was scheduled to be held in Belarus this spring and summer, to neighboring Latvia.
Fear of Belarus repeating Ukraine’s fate
The West’s fear of increasing sanctions against Lukashenko is generally interpreted as a possible fear of pushing Lukashenko further into Putin’s arms. Belarusian media personality Deniko believes that after the Kiev Square Revolution in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and encroached on eastern Ukraine, leaving Ukraine’s sovereignty compromised, and whether pro- or anti-Lukashenko figures, Belarusian society is now very concerned about the Russian factor, trying to avoid a repeat of the Ukrainian tragedy in Belarus.
The situation in the capital Minsk is currently calm, Denico said. But the long-ruling Lukashenko has been rigging the elections, causing many people to lose trust.
He said, “The general elections in Belarus are like those pro forma elections in many socialist camp countries in the past before the collapse of the Soviet Union, which did not solve the problem, and the situation simply cannot be changed through elections.”
In last August’s presidential election, Lukashenko was re-elected with a high number of votes. But many neighboring and Western countries do not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president. China, for its part, was among the first to congratulate Lukashenko on his election. Large-scale anti-government demonstrations broke out in Belarus afterwards.
Discontent remains Crisis continues
Belarusian political scientist Yegorov said that for more than six months, almost all social strata, from retirees, to the performing arts, sports and workers, have expressed their discontent with Lukashenko, that the problems facing the country have not been solved, that Lukashenko’s willingness to reform has not been seen so far, and that the political crisis in Belarus is continuing.
He believes that Lukashenko relies solely on repressive means to maintain power, but people’s discontent and anger, as well as the network of protest demonstrations, still exists and the opposition is organized. Any failure of the authorities and some chance events can activate a resurgence of mass protests.
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