Opinion

Answers to common questions about our petition to declare Russian occupation of Belarus and derecognize Lukashenka, in Belarusian and English.

“We will massacre all the scum that you, the West, have been financing. You are upset we destroyed all your structures, all your NGO’s and all those you have been paying for.” These were the words of the ruler of Belarus Lukashenka about the hundreds of people’s initiatives and nongovernmental organizations crushed by the state in 2021. The fact is, the majority of targeted organizations were nothing but human and animal rights activists, journalistic associations, community focused groups and organizations that help people with disabilities. This interview with BBC’s own Steve Rosenberg, however, revealed more than just Lukashenka’s fear of initiatives which are common in Western democracies. It revealed the interconnection between the migrant crisis, the repressions against civil society in Belarus, and the Belarusian dictator’s unwavering thirst for power.