August 9, 2021, marks one year since the infamous 2020 presidential election, which became a turning point in Belarusian history. Belarusians around the world commemorate the beginning of the peaceful pro-democracy movement it sparked. One year ago today, millions of brave Belarusians chose to stand up to a dictatorship and defend democracy in the voting booths across the country and elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the next president of Belarus. Hundreds of thousands then took to the streets to protect their votes, despite the prospect of getting jailed, tortured, or even murdered.

This past week: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya meets President Biden, Belarusian Olympic sprinter is being forcibly removed from the Olympics and sent home & much more Top Stories Aug 1: Belarusian Olympic sprinter says she is being pressured to leave Tokyo after criticizing her country’s Olympic officials Krystsina Tsimanouskaya who was due to compete in the women’s 200m event on Monday, had complained on social media about being asked to run a different race at a short notice.

In light of the recent unprecedented crackdown on independent media and civil society in Belarus, the Belarus Freedom Forum urges the U.S. government on behalf of Belarusian American Communities to impose economic sanctions to put an end to political repressions. in Belarus. We are grateful for the U.S. government’s decision to join the European Union in its latest effort to sanction individuals responsible for state repressions as well as state-owned companies funding the regime.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visits Washington DC to seek help from US, while Belarus’ regime brutal crackdown on civil society continues Top Stories Jul 19: Blinken meets Belarus opposition leader as criticism against Lukashenka mounts US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and promised “to continue efforts to stand with the Belarusian people and their aspirations for human rights, democracy, and their broader Euro-Atlantic aspirations.” The meeting happened in the context of yet another series of crackdowns on the democratic opposition by the Lukashenka regime.

The Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary of the U.S. Treasury U.S. Governor to the IMF Dear Madam Treasury Secretary, It came to our attention that the International Monetary Fund Executive Board is working on a new Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) allocation, and Belarus is neither excluded from the new allocation nor prevented from accessing its future SDR holdings. We hope the United States exercises its veto power and prevents access to SDRs by an illegitimate government the United States does not recognize.

Vertical of Power - Artist: Lilia Kvatsabaya Top Stories Jul 14: Belarus targets rights activists, journalists with raids More than 40 raids took place across Belarus targeting the Human Rights center Viasna, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and others. Law enforcement raided groups that work on a wide range of human rights issues, including human rights education, social and economic rights, protection of media workers, freedom of expression online etc.

July 16, 2021 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: We American friends of democratic Belarus thank you for your support of the Belarusian people in your meetings with U.S. allies, friends, and partners as well as for your administration’s actions to increase sanctions against the Lukashenka regime and his enablers.

The Honorable David Malpass President of the World Bank Group Dear Mr. Malpass, We, the members of Belarus Freedom Forum, would like to bring to your attention our concerns about the ongoing Belarus Higher Education Modernization Project (ID #P167992) and call on the World Bank to halt any lending to the Republic of Belarus and reallocate the funds associated with it. Providing funds to the state-owned higher education system of Belarus is immoral and counterproductive, as the current atmosphere of intimidation and the ongoing political repressions against students and faculty make any improvement and innovation highly unlikely.

The Honorable David Malpass President of the World Bank Group: Dear Mr. Malpass, Belarus Freedom Forum, a US-based organization of Belarusian-Americans and Belarusians living in the United States, is contacting you regarding the Belarus Emergency Covid Response Project by the World Bank (ID #P173828). Under the terms of this project, the Republic of Belarus is to receive a loan of 98.5 million USD. Part of the loan has already been disbursed.

Intense crackdown on remaining independent media, repressions against Lukashenka’s political rivals & Belarus isolation continues Top Stories Jul 9: Belarus scales up crackdown on independents media The country’s law enforcement agencies have raided offices of several media outlets and conducted more than 30 searches at the offices and journalists’ apartments in the past two days. The state declared the raids and following arrests a part of a broad operation against “radical-minded individuals”, who have consistently covered months of protests and repressions that followed.