Belarus: Kozulin jailed

Belarusian opposition candidate Alexander Kozulin has been jailed for five and a half years. His crime? Leading a demonstration demanding free and fair (rather than fixed) elections.

When a government can only maintain power by jailing its opposition, you know that its support is weak. OTOH, tyranny can hold on for a long time this way. I guess we just have to hope that the Belarusian people get sick of their dictator and run him out of town on a rail, as the rest of Eastern Europe did a decade ago...

Belarus: prosecuting the opposition

Earlier this year, Alexander Kozulin was the social democratic candidate in Belorus's fixed presidential "election". At a post-election demonstration, he was beaten and arrested, and he is now on trial for "hooliganism and inciting mass disorder". His "crime"? He had walked towards the commander of the police at the demonstration to present him with a bunch of flowers. And for this, he could be facing up to six years in prison.

This is how the Belrusian regime maintains power: by fixing elections, and imprisoning anyone who dares to speak out about it. We just have to hope that next time, things are different...

Belarus: the batons come out

Since the sham-election in Belarus last weekend, a lonely contingent of protestors has kept a vigil in October Square in Minsk to protest the fixed result. Over the past few days, they've been continually harassed by police, and people travelling to join them have been arrested and imprisoned on spurious charges. The regime's intention was clearly to suffocate the protest (or "wring its neck like a duck", to use President Lukashenko's charming phrase) rather than stage a highly public violent crackdown. But this morning, that changed. Riot police stormed the square, dragged the protestors from their tents, and loaded them onto trucks. The Charter 97 website reports that many were beaten. It's unclear exactly what charges the protestors will face, but at this stage the regime's pre-election warnings equating dissent with terrorism are more than a little worrying...

Belarus: As expected II

The OSCE has condemned the Belarusian elections [PDF], citing a widespread climate of intimidation and harassment, significant restrictions on campaigning by the opposition, pressure and threats to force people to vote for the incumbent, serious polling irregularities, and a counting process which was not transparent and frequently directed by officials of the ruling party. Their summary:

It is clear that this election did not meet OSCE commitments and international electoral standards. The arbitrary abuse of state power, obviously designed to protect the incumbent President, went far beyond acceptable practice. The incumbent President permitted State authority to be used in a manner which did not allow citizens to freely and fairly express their will at the ballot box.

Both the EU and US have condemned the poll and called for new elections. Meanwhile, Russian observers have said it was "free, open and transparent". Which really makes you wonder whether they actually know what a free and fair election is supposed to look like...

Belarus: As expected

Things are going as expected in Belarus. According to preliminary results, Alexander Lukashenko has won a landslide victory, gaining 82.6% of the vote, compared with 6% for the leading opposition candidate. The opposition is already crying "fraud" and demanding a new, free and fair poll - and they have some evidence of electoral violations, though we'll have to wait a few hours until the OSCE election monitors report to find out just how widespread they are.

Despite threats that protestors would be treated as terrorists, there has been a large protest in Minsk, with about 40,000 people gathering in October Square. Further protests are scheduled for tomorrow night. If this election campaign has achieved anything, it has shown people that they can stand up to the government - a lesson they will hopefully be able to put to good use next time round.

Where dissent is terrorism

Belarus goes to the polls on Sunday to choose a President in an election which is almost certainly rigged. The democratic opposition has already organised a mass demonstration to greet the election results in Minsk. The regime's response has been to threaten opposition leaders and demonstrators with terrorism charges, which carry the death penalty. In Belarus, then, the equation is clear: dissent is terrorism, and punishable by murder.

From this side of the world, all we can do is wish them luck and hope for the best.

Belarus: pre-election oppression

Belarus goes to the polls in two weeks, and dictator Alexander Lukashenko has stepped up his campaign. In civilised democracies, this would mean a policy launch, photo-op, or maybe an advertising blitz. In Belarus, it means mass-arrests and beatings. In Minsk, opposition candidate Alexander Kozulin was dragged into a van and beaten by plain-clothes security men. He was then arrested and charged with "hooliganism". Supporters who gathered outside the police station where he was being held were beaten, arrested, and shot at, and several were hospitalised. The details (and photos) are on the Charter '97 website.

With tactics like this, you have to wonder why Belarus is even bothering to have a vote. But elections are such powerful signifiers of legitimacy that even dictators like Saddam had to go through the motions (while ensuring that the result was never in doubt). Lukashenko is no different. He needs to be seen to win. The job of the opposition is to make that as difficult as possible, and to leave the public in no doubt that the whole process was a sham from start to finish.

United 4 Belarus

On March 19th, Belarus - Europe's last dictatorship - goes to the polls in Presidential elections. The incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko, is widely expected to fix those elections, just as he has the last two times. But despite violence, intimidation, arrests and disappearances, the democratic opposition are not giving up without a fight. They've united behind a single candidate, Aliaksandar Milinkevich, and are going to do their best to win, or at least present an alternative to authoritarian rule.

The British LibDems have set up an international solidarity campaign, United 4 Belarus, so that people can show their support for democracy in Belarus. As well as sticking the logo on your website, they also suggest various practical ways support can be shown. Unfortunately, New Zealand has no Belarusian embassy to protest outside, or even an honorary consul to write to. All we can do is wish the opposition luck, and hope for the best.

News on the democracy campaign in Belarus can be followed here.

(Hat tip: Forceful and Moderate)