The Belarusian authorities reportedly launched a new wave of interventions against government critics, Specifically, those who have recently participated in opposition protests abroad. This stems from Wednesday’s statements of local authorities and human rights activists, writes TASR according to AP.
The Belarusian Investigation Committee informed that He identified at least 207 participants in anti -government gatherings in Poland, Lithuania, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. They were held on the occasion of the anniversary of the statement of the First People’s Republic of Belarus. There was only less than a year from 25 March 1918 to February 1919, when Belarus was dominated by the Bolsheviks. The opposition commemorates its anniversary every year.
The raids, arrests and securing of property occurred in the metropolis of Minsk but also elsewhere in the country. The Belarusian authorities informed about them on Wednesday, how many people concerned, but did not mention. The oldest and most important Belarusian human rights organization Viasna for AP said that within the latest wave of raids “dozens of activists” were detained. Activist Pavel Sapelka described the interventions as the “largest wave of repression” this year.
Belarusian authorities began to chase opponents Lukashenko already after extensive protests that triggered the disputed presidential elections of August 2020. Lukashenko officially won them and secured the sixth term. The opposition and the West described the elections as manipulated. In January 2025, Lukashenko won the next elections, also considered to be staged.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians participated in the demonstrations in 2020, which was most in the history of the country. The authorities of them Hardly suppressed and detained and beaten thousands of people. Another roughly Half a million people have escaped from the country, and police interventions have earned international conviction and sanctions by the US and the EU.
According to Viasny, nearly 1,200 political prisoners are in prison in Belarus, including the founder of this human rights organization and the Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Biaľacký. At least eight political prisoners have already died behind bars.
Belarusian exile opposition He plans demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday in Warsaw on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of mass protests. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the event as “destructive”, “hostile” and “damaging Belarus-Polish relations”. On Tuesday, it also summoned the Polish Chargé d’Ffaires.
