Newsletter: Nov 23-30

BELARUS

Nov 23: Repressions target students’ unions. Belarusian human rights organizations demand freedom for politically repressed students and professors. The Belarusian authorities arrested leaders of the oldest student organization in Belarus, the Belarusian Students Association. The searches were conducted in the office of the BSA and in the students’ apartments. The arrested students and a professor are recognized to be political prisoners.

Nov 23: Weekly Seniors’ March. Hundreds of retirees have protested in the Belarusian capital to demand the resignation of the usurper.

Nov 23: The regime threatens sanctions. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the regime threatened to impose sanctions against the European Union in response to the EU recent sanctions package against Belarusian officials.

Nov 23: Survey: Support for Russia at all-time low. According to the recent survey, the support for the alliance with Russia significantly decreased in just two months. In November, only 40% of Belarusians supported the alliance with Russia in comparison to 51.6% in September. The pro-Europe orientation has increased to 33% in November.

Nov 25: The regime continues harassing activists. A 32-year-old Міkalai Dzyadok, a political activist, was arrested in his home after the security forces broke into his apartment through the window. The regime forces have severely beaten Dzyadok, threatened with rape and stifled with a pillow, trying to beat the device passwords out of him. The regime is targeting social media influencers administering popular Telegram channels.

Nov 26: Nine journalists facing criminal charges. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has published a list of nine journalists who are facing prison sentences over criminal charges. Six journalists are charged with ‘organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order’ (Art. 342-1 of the Criminal Code). The maximum penalty under the article is three years of imprisonment.

Nov 26: Ban on national flags in private apartments. The authorities found a way to ban the national white-red-white colors and flags in private residences. According to the new fire department regulations, the owners cannot place flammable textiles on any exterior parts of any buildings.

Nov 26: A student sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for a handwritten remark. A 19-year-old student Illia Tananka was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment writing the word “murderer” on a bulletin board outside the police chief’s apartment. The court ruling says Tananka “damaged the officer’s honor and dignity, decried his authority in the eyes of others, and undermined the prestige of managerial activity in the state carried out by police officers.”

Nov 27: Christian Churches under attack. After the direct order of the usurper, the Prosecutor General gave warnings to the bishop of the Catholic Church Yury Kasabutski and the press-secretary of the Orthodox Church Siarhei Lepin after these religious representatives condemned the violence of the authorities against peaceful protesters. The press-secretary Siarhei Lepin was forced to resign from his position. The Catholic Bishop Yury Kasabutski was reminded by the Prosecutor General about the possibility of banning the activity of religious organizations that “incite hate in the society.”

Nov 29: Sunday March of Neighbours. Around 30 separate rallies were held across Minsk with dozens across the country and the world (short video). This has been a growing trend in the past few weeks to decentralize and hold protests in the residential areas to spread out the regime forces and prevent detentions on the way to and from the main gathering point. The Internet has been shut down since 11am, public transport and some shopping centers are closed due to “technical difficulties.” In total, there were around 350 people arrested.

INTERNATIONAL

Nov 23: Sviatlana Alexievich interviews with DER SPIEGEL. A 2013 Nobel Prize winner in literature Sviatlana Alexieyevich spoke about the protests in her homeland of Belarus, the horrors of the regime, and how the international community can help.

Nov 24: Tsikhanouskaya meets with Lithuanian President. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda to discuss the human rights situation in Belarus. Lithuania strongly condemns the human rights atrocities in Belarus and supports the civil society.

Nov 26: The US condemns actions targeting journalists. The United States condemns the Belarusian ​authorities’ actions targeting local and foreign journalists. According to the statement, no members of the media should be threatened, physically abused, arrested, or imprisoned by anyone for any reason simply for doing their jobs as journalists.

Nov 26: Russia checking-in with their puppet regime. The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lavrov, visited Belarus. According to the official records, he discussed the integration plans of Belarus and Russia and the possibility of the new Constitution in Belarus.

Nov 26: New resolution of the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament have passed a resolution on the continuous violations of human rights in Belarus, in particular the murder of Raman Bandarenka. The text was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 613 votes in favor with only 41 against and 35 abstentions. It was highlighted that actions taken so far by the EU and the Member States against the regime were not sufficient.

Nov 27: Tsikhanouskaya invited to Biden’s inauguration. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she received an invitation from Joe Biden to attend his inauguration. During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden has openly supported the democratic changes in Belarus and condemned the regime.