Around 6,7 million people have been arrested since the beginning of the demonstrations against the elections that took place on August 9th. The current president, Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in this position since 1994, was reelected with 80% of the votes. This result is questioned by the population and also the opposition.
The leader of the opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, fought for changes in the government, but was forced to leave the country due to political pressure. UN human rights experts denounced the regime’s brutal action and “large-scale” arrests, and several protesters who were released from the detention center in the capital reported to Reuters that they were being removed from their cells during the night to be beaten.
How things work in Belarus
Belarus has a close relationship with Russia, besides being neighbors, the countries belong once to the Sovietic Union (URSS). Therefore, it’s economy remains planned, the last one in Europe. The country has established a mix of state influence and free market completely open.
Also, Belarus has been charged by the same person for 26 years: president Alexander Lukashenko. He is known for the repressive approach taken against protesters, the most recent news was the threat to use lethal ammunition. Demonstrations in Belarus have been taking place in the streets for more than 10 weeks now.
Women in the center of the protests
Besides Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, her key ally in the activism, Veronika Tsepkalo, was also forced into exile. Veronika told BBC that during the campaign the authorities tried to take her children into an orphanage. Now, she and her family are isolated in Poland.
However, the same can not be said for Maria Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of the Opposing Coordination Council, that seeks for a peaceful political transition, including new elections and the freedom of political prisoners. She is the only one that remains in the country from the three original women that faced the government.
Maria was captured for unknown people with hoods and arrested in the border with Ukraine. She spent 24 hours missing after an action by the KGB (security service from the government) and arrested after refusing to leave the country. According to sources from the Interfax agency, they saw Maria tear her own passport apart to avoid being expelled.
After all these situations, women from all over invaded the streets in the capital Minsk and other cities in order to protest. They wore white clothes and held flowers, looking for a peaceful solution for the country.
Global response
The european union does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the president of Belarus. The 27 countries affirmed that it was lacking democratical legitimacy for its power to be claimed again. Also, the block elaborated sanctions against the country, for violating human rights.
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The article above was edited by Laura Ferrazzano.
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