Democracy News

Belarusian Police Detain Hundreds of Peaceful Demonstrators; US and EU Extend Sanctions
July 12, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly 

On the evening of July 6, Belarusian police detained hundreds of demonstrators that were protesting against President Aleksandr Lukashenko by standing silently in central Minsk, BBC News reported. The arrests of some 360 demonstrators and 23 journalists came amid the latest wave of protests against the Belarusian government which have so far seen around 1,700 people detained since December 2010. AFP reported that Russian and independent Belarusian journalists were among those arrested.  Almost all public demonstrations are banned in Belarus. The protesters have typically shown their dissatisfaction with the government by standing silently or, in some cases, clapping their hands. The Belarusian police has frequently used violence when arresting protesters.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and the Russian Foreign Ministry have condemned the continued police violence against peaceful demonstrators. “The blatant brutality which Belarusian security forces have used against peaceful protests is totally unacceptable,” Westerwelle stated on July 8. In contrast, Belarusian Prosecutor General Grigory Vasilievich stated that the detentions were legal because the demonstrations were unsanctioned and the participants refused police orders to disperse.

The United States (US) House of Representatives approved a bill to support democracy and human rights in Belarus. According to the Belarus Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2011, the bill calls for the release of all political prisoners and refuses to recognize the results of the country’s December 2010 election on the basis that it was widely fraudulent. "This bill encourages those struggling for decency and basic rights against the overwhelming pressures from the anti-democratic regime," Republican Representative Chris Smith, the author of the bill, said in a statement.

On June 14, US President Barack Obama extended sanctions on Belarus. The measure has frozen the assets of a number of top officials and banned many of them from traveling to the US. Additionally, the European Union has placed travel bans on and frozen the assets of some 188 individuals, including people from Lukashenko's inner circle and several judges who have issued sentences in the recent trials, AFP reported.
In response to the sanctions, Lukashenko has said the anti-government demonstrations are being engineered by NATO intelligence services in a bid to unseat him, and that he is supported by a majority of Belarusians.

Belarus is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in nearly two decades. Lukashenko, a former collective farm boss, has ruled the country single handedly since 1996.

For more information, please see the Belarus case study in the Diplomat’s Handbook for Democracy Development Support.

For previous news on Belarus, please see:
Belarusian President Remains Defiant Against Democratic Opposition

Sources:
BBC News – Hundreds arrested in Belarus at anti-Lukashenko rallies

AFP – US House backs Belarus protesters

UPI – Obama extends Belarus sanctions

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – Belarusian Mass Trials Continue After Fresh Crackdown On Protesters

Voice of America – Belarus Police Break Up Peaceful Protest