Newsletter: Jan 4-10
BELARUS
Jan 4: Lukashenko plotted murders in Germany. “Alexander Lukashenko authorised political murders in Germany in 2012”, according to a bugged recording of his former KGB-chief Vadim Zaitsev obtained and published by independent online newspaper EUobserver. EUobserver claims that it received a recording of a conversation between the former chairman of the KGB of Belarus, in which the physical elimination of some Belarusian political emigrants: Pavel Sheremet, former head of a detention center #1 in Minsk Oleg Alkaev, former commander of the OMON Vladimir Borodach, and former anti-corruption chief Vyacheslav Dudkin – is discussed.
Jan 5: Frosty The Protester: Belarusian man arrested for a snowman. A man from Homel, Belarus is facing charges over a snowman in his backyard. The police on December 29 cited the man for holding an unsanctioned picket. According to a local rights activist Leanid Sudalenka: “The man suggested the officer charge the snowman since he was picketing. And although there was no snow, nor snowman, the man will face trial”.
Jan 5: Energy deals point to thawing of Belarus-Russia relations. Asked whether he and Russian president Vladimir Putin were “on the same political team,” Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko was unequivocal. “They pushed us tightly into one team, for the rest of our life,” he told Russia’s state television channel, in a comment broadcast on Tuesday that underscored his desire to portray both the strength of their relations and the role that the rest of the world had played in cementing them. Yet Mr Lukashenko has some work to do, to restore relations between Moscow and Minsk that cooled significantly during 2020.
Jan 6: Belarus extends pretrial detention of opposition figure Kalesnikava. The Coordination Council of the Belarusian political opposition said on January 6 that investigators had extended Kalesnikava’s detention until March 8. Kalesnikava is a key member of the Coordination Council, a body set up by Belarus’s political opposition to facilitate a transfer of power in the country following a presidential election in August that the opposition says was rigged and the West has refused to accept. Kalesnikava was arrested in September and charged with calling for actions aimed at damaging the country’s national security via media and the Internet.
Jan 6: Undercover security forces detain about 20 residents in Minsk yards. On January 5, unknown men (allegedly plainclothes security officers) showed up at the neighbors’ meetings in Minsk off-street yards and detained a number of participants. In total, about 20 persons were detained on Tuesday evening. According to the volunteers, three detainees (Andrey Kinash, Dzmitry Chystou, Viktar Maroz) were taken to hospitals from Pershamayski district police department, the others were sent to the detention center in Akrestsin Street. The residents of Novaya Baravaya are going to file a joint complaint with the police over the facts of kidnapping.
Jan 8: Lukashenka draws parallels between US Capital Storm and Belarusian opposition. During his visit to the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Alyaksandr Lukashenka commented on the events in the United States. Lukashenka drew parallels with the events in Belarus and concluded that the Belarusian protesters need to calm down. According to him, they should not be allowed to walk around the courtyards. “The small group that walks around Minsk on weekends these days. I warned you: it’s bad when they walk down the street, it’s even worse when they walk into the courtyards, it will be unbearable when they come to your apartments. We must not let this happen,” he said.
Jan 8: Lukashenka regime sentenced Belarusians to 227 years in prison. The law enforcement system of Belarus has completely turned into a factory of repressions. In less than five months last year, more than 25,000 people were detained in Belarus. They spent more than 227 years in prison and paid nearly $ 700,000 in fines. Human Rights Center “Viasna” summed up the sad results of the post-election period.
Jan 9: Neighbours’ protest marches take place in Minsk and other cities. Local protest actions were held in off street yards and residential areas. Earlier this week, Alyaksandr Lukashenka demanded such protests and rallies to be stopped. In Minsk, protests took place in Malinauka and Paudnyovy Zakhad residential areas – hundreds of people took to the streets; white-red-white flags were spotted.
INTERNATIONAL
Jan 8: Tsikhanouskaya meets with head of the Lithuanian MFA, discusses European vaccine for Belarusians. Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielus Landsbergis and Vice Minister Mantas Adamenas. The Lithuanian side announced the directions for further support of Belarus. One of them is the transfer of the European vaccine against Covid-19 to Belarus under the control of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya‘s office through a medical representative who will appear soon. The possibilities of implementing such assistance are being discussed. For example, obtaining a so-called vaccine visa in Lithuania.