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NL Nikolai Statkevich: 'As a Belarusian, I am used to solitary confinement'
Military analyses from the penal camp Nikolai Statkevich is chairman of the Social Democratic Party 'Narodnaya Gromada' in Belarus. Under Alexander Lukashenko's regime, he had previously spent eight years in various prisons and camps because of his political activities. A few months before the 2020 presidential elections and subsequent mass protests, he was imprisoned in broad daylight [...]
Demonstration for the release of Nobel laureate and all political prisoners in Belarus
Human rights defender Ales Bialiatski is one of three winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. But since he has been imprisoned in Belarus since July 2021, others will have to receive his prize on his behalf. On 25 November, the day he was detained for 500 days, association of Belarusians in the Netherlands organised [...]
How walls are still seen as a solution in 'Fortress Europe'
Today marks exactly 23 years since the Berlin Wall fell. For Europe, it seemed the impetus to blur borders and bet on unity and free mobilisation. Divisions caused by physical walls seemed to be a thing of the past. Today, however, walls are on the rise again Between Poland and [...]
The four trees commemoration: where past and present meet
Protests against the Belarusian regime, Minsk, August 2020 (WikiMedia Commons) Last Friday 16 September, the annual four trees commemoration in Eindhoven took place again. This commemoration commemorates four opposition members who disappeared in Belarus in 1999 and 2000. Today, it is still uncertain what happened to Anatoly Krasovsky, Viktor Gonchar, Yuri [...]
Constitution Belarus amended after referendum, fear of further integration with Russia grows
A controversial amendment to the constitution was passed in a referendum in Belarus last Sunday. The amendments give President Lukashenko far-reaching powers to remain in power until 2035. Another clause that deletes Belarus as a neutral, non-nuclear power is also controversial. It heightens fears that Belarus will be further integrated into Russia.
EU cannot let migrants at the Belarus-Poland border down any longer
As the nights grow longer and colder, the dangerous situation at the border between Belarus and Poland intensifies. Hundreds, or maybe thousands, of migrants huddle together on the border in hopes of crossing over to Poland to reach the EU. This is a result of a ploy by Belarus's President Lukashenka to fly out migrants from the Middle East and Africa to Minsk with promises of guiding them towards EU territory.
Belarus a country to live in
Following the falsified 9 August 2020 election results, people in Belarus took to the streets en masse to demonstrate against Aleksandr Lukashenko's autocratic regime. Due to extreme police brutality and numerous arrests, demonstrations with hundreds of thousands of participants slowly turned into smaller local protests. Yuri Stylski, musician from Brest: 'I was invited to play in a residential area in the autumn. There were many families with children. In the afternoon, a theatre group performed a play. In the evening, I was playing a few songs when someone shouted, "The beachcombers are there, quick away!" One of the residents hid me in his flat just until they had left again. Of course, they knew where to find me anyway. The police organised crime department forced me to sign a protocol stating that I would no longer act. Since then, we have only done live streams.'
Belarus: need for hope after more than 100 days of protests and violence
It has been more than a hundred days since Belarus went to the polls. For more than a hundred days, people have been taking to the streets on a daily basis against the result announced at the end of that ballot: the victory of incumbent President Alexandr Lukashenko. His challenger, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, is now in exile. This month, she visited the Netherlands, where she continued to call for solidarity with the protesting Belarusian people.
Ongoing protests in Belarus
Since May 2020, the Belarusian people have been protesting against the re-election of President Aleksandr Lukashenko. With a 26-year term, Lukashenko is one of the longest-serving - and most autocratic - heads of state in Europe. Although the Belarusian people have spoken out against electoral fraud under Lukashenko many times before, the current protests are unprecedented - never before have so many people mobilised in such a sustained and organised manner against the incumbent president. Why are the protests so persistent just now? And what kind of strategy should the European Union adopt regarding the protests in neighbouring Belarus?
Online Political Café: the future of Belarus
There is something unusual going on in Belarus (Belarus). Presidential elections were on 9 August and once again Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won the election. But, the population is moving and speaking out and the regime seems to be under pressure more than in other years.