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Belarus reluctantly reverses its security policies
Meeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka on 14 September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that in the next year Belarus and Russia would hold joint exercises or similar events almost monthly. Belarusian special operations forces on 21 September joined the...
27 September 2020
Crackdown on independent media and daily protests – Belarus civil society digest

For almost 50 days Belarusians continue daily protests against the illegitimacy of the 6th presidential term of Lukashenka, including weekly Saturday’s Women Marches and massive Sunday rallies. This week, Belarusians flooded the streets after a “secret” inauguration ceremony on September 23,...

21 September 2020
Daily protests and repressions, international reaction, Coordination Council – Belarus Civil Society Digest

For over 40 days, starting from August 9th, Belarusians continue daily peaceful protests. The most massive rallies on Sundays continue to gather hundreds of thousands of people in Minsk, despite the increasing brutality by the police. Lukashenka keeps pushing...

16 September 2020
Belarusian state apparatus – strong from the outside, hollow from the inside

On 10 September, Belarusian police detained Dzmitry Siomchanka, leader of the ‘presidential pool’ at the state TV Channel ONT, after he expressed his opposition to President Alexander Lukashenka’s policies. The detention is the most recent illustration of how fragile...

13 September 2020
Opinion: No illusions about Western support for democracy in Belarus

There should be no illusions about Western support for Belarusian democracy. At least until the victory of the latter. Almost everything that EU governments do today is either symbolic gestures or the realization of their national interests in the...

10 September 2020
Economy in recession, protests continue despite repressions – Belarus civil society digest

For a whole month, starting from August 9th, Belarusians continue daily protests demanding new presidential elections. The traditional Sunday’s rallies gather hundreds of thousands of people in Minsk and thousands in regions. Last Sunday, on September 6th, for the first time,...

8 September 2020
Catholic Church as next target for Belarus’ undermining of civic solidarity

On 31 August, Belarusian border security officers denied a Belarusian citizen, Archbishop Tadeush Kandrusievich, the head of the Catholic Church, return into the country. Amid displays of solidarity among various civil society leaders in Belarus, the authorities continue to...

4 September 2020
Prostests persist, economic hardship felt, solidarity strengthens – Belarus Civil Society Digest

For 27 days in a row, Belarusians continue protesting against election results and police violence. The most powerful street actions take place on Sundays and gather up to 300,000 people in Minsk and dozens of thousands in other cities....

3 September 2020
Three pillars of Lukashenka’s support – why doesn’t he fall?

Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenka has so far lost only one of his important pillars of support – his legitimacy (not to be confused with legality, which he had already lost 20 years ago). That is to say, he has...

2 September 2020
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Post-election turmoil is taking a toll on the Belarusian economy

The breach of trust in the government since the disputed 9 August presidential election has already cost the Belarusian economy a lot. People are withdrawing deposits from banks, large manufacturing enterprises are going on strike, and IT companies are...

1 September 2020
Belarus at a Crossroads: Political Regime Transformation and Future Scenarios

Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has reportedly agreed to meet with Vladimir Putin in September to discuss a new integration package which may pose a threat to Belarusian sovereignty. The Kremlin is facing deeply uncomfortable choices: either to provide Lukashenka...