YDS 2021 in Review

by Eliza Archer | YDS Regional Correspondent
Belarus, a previously relatively
unknown European country, has been
ever-present in international headlines
over the last year and a half.
It all began when Belarusian President
Aleksandr G. Lukashenko was reelected
last year, perpetuating his reign
as Europe’s last dictator. The
announcement of his re-election, a
victory he claimed came from more
than 80 per cent of the votes, resulted
in mass protests. Some estimate the
crowds of protesters in August last year
neared two hundred thousand, making
them the largest in Belarusian history.
There were whispers of NATO military
action and a leadership overthrow that
never eventuated. While observers had
hoped this action, the single biggest
threat to his power in almost three
decades of rulen, would end Europe’s
last dictatorship, the momentum failed
to last the distance.
Instead, the year 2021 was dubbed the
“Year of National Unity” by Lukashenko.
However, as the protest movements
have been driven underground, high
profile dissidents and border tensions
to the West ensured Belarus remained
in the headlines. The regime continued
to “purge” journalists, opposing media,
and activists in an operation aimed at
eliminating opposition and critics of his
regime. As a result, more than 35,000
peaceful protesters have been detained
since his reelection. For example, well
known journalist and dissident, Roman
Protasevich, was seized while on a flight
from Greece to Lithuania. Similarly, prodemocracy
leader, Svetlana
Tikhanovskaya was exiled, and
prominent opposition figures Maria
Kolesnikova and Maksim Znak were
sentenced to more than a decade in
prison. Human rights organisations in
Belarus have been decimated, with at
least forty-six such organisations
already shut down, leading to vocal
international condemnation. Add to this
the very public defection of an Olympic
runner who sought refuge while
representing Belarus in Tokyo, it is clear
that popular dissatisfaction in Belarus
has been noticed abroad.
As a result, the protests, defections and
arrests have triggered a wave of
sanctions from Western democracies.
However, given the geographical and
political positioning of Belarus, this has
caused further tensions.
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