When Belarusians seek a brave and peaceful change

“Long live Belarus”, “Get the f**k out and die”, “Lukashenka Avtozag”. On Minsk’s wide avenues slogans are heard one after the other. People scream raising hands with two fingers up forming a “v” in sign of victory and peace. It is a normal Sunday, the weekly general march’s day against Lukashenko’s government. Since it all started, on the 9^th of August, a lot of weeks have passed. However, people keep going to the street to demonstrate against Lukashenko’s reelection and the accusation of electoral fraud. Since then, thousands of Belarusians have started filling up the squares asking for new election and to free the main opposition leaders, challenging the authorities’ violent answers. Women, kids, boys and girls. All of them dressed up in white-red-white. The colors of the former national flag before the red and green was introduced by Lukashenko in 1995.

From the demonstrators’ first lines someone start to chant. Everybody screams creating a Mexican wave-effect. The parade marches peacefully. People in the car use the hooter, supporting the crowds. From the balconies people are shouting “freedom” while people in the street turn up their faces cheering in sign of greeting. The atmosphere is cheerful. Suddenly however, police burst into the crows. Everybody spread out running. They attack with Avtozag trucks, military vehicles to transport prisoners. When they pass through, everybody goes back to his position and start chanting once again, feeling the tension. People fear in particular Amon, special forces with balaclava, and the so-called Tihushniki, hidden policemen dressed up like civilians but armed with a stick. It is their duty to arrest, beat and inflict violence on the demonstrators. They silently jump out from blue- or green-colored vans without plate, assaulting small groups of protestors that get apart from the big crowds. Watching them in action is a petrifying scene. They are tall and strong, instilling fear amid citizens. Nevertheless, they do not show it. “I thought that Belarusians were not able to do such a thing” – says Denis, 38, filmmaker – “I felt sad during the past years, when you could see only small crows protesting after the elections. But today I am proud to be Belarusian. This united us very much”. It is like people are not scared of the “Batka”’s authority anymore, the “father of the nation” in Russian, Lukashenko’s nickname in the country. “Before, Belarusian always thought that it was better not to make the situation worse. Todays they changed their mind losing fear, the element who stopped them” utters Tom, 36.

To know...

On the 9th of August Belarus' president Aleksander Lukashenka won the presidential elections. In power since 1996, he was accused of fraud by the opposition. People, already during the ballots, started to gather and demonstrate against his rule, asking for new elections and Lukashenko's destitution.

Since the first days of demonstrations, the authorities reacted violently, accusing the demonstrators to be violent. Some people got injured and some killed. Since then, every Sunday thousands of people gather to march, chanting peacefully. Several hundreds citizens are arrested on a regular basis.

Lukashenko's government has the support of Moscow. However, in November the European Union announced a list of sanctions against high-ranked members of the regime, who in the meanwhile tightened the repression on people. Recently, Lukashenko announced that a new constitution is being drawn and that, once it will be approved, he will not be president. But nobody knows what this exactly means.

Government’s brutal and ruthless response however, pushed the citizens to develop different techniques to defend themselves. The encrypted app Telegram became the revolution’s platform, where people share pictures, videos and organize meetings. Since the demonstrations started, some media outlets reached more than 2 million subscribers on Telegram groups. “They became amongst the biggest all over the world” says Denis. On Sundays and weekdays in facts, despite the official gathering meeting being usually at 2PM, everybody already knows what is going on: separate protests are usually followed many arrests happen throughout all Minsk and Belarus’ major cities.

On Sundays, the common meeting point is at Stella, or Independence square, the symbol of Soviet victory over fascism during WWII but also the emblem of today’s authoritarian regime. A place that Lukashenko defends with tens of militaries, who are playing patriotic music turning up the volume to disturb people. Nelly, 71, and Helen, 60, are going there with their own car. They are happy and thrilled. “For us this is an historical movement” – says Nelly speaking a little English – “I am very touched. We are demonstrating because we want freedom. We don’t want our sons to leave the country, because we love our land. But with this president it is impossible. Besides the last electoral fraud, what made the situation unsustainable was police’s violence. This is too much”. Helen nods, before adding that “in the countryside people do not earn enough money to pay taxes. How can they survive?”. Helen’s car heads from Minsk’s suburbs towards the city center. Traffic flows normally. People start gathering at Stella.

"I am proud to be Belarusian. This united us very much" - Denis

"We are fighting for our freedom and we will never give up" - Katerina

Right at the beginning of the marches, Katerina lost his husband: “Police got closer threatening us. We were a group and we resisted, making a human chain. They violently separate us before arresting my husband, beating him harshly. I was crying. Then they took him away” she tells. Internet has been cut. Katerina is not reachable anymore. She became one of the symbols of the riots. An ever-present activist. “We are fighting for our freedom and we will never give up”.

Her husband was taken to Akrestina prison before being transferred to Zhodino, a jail outside the city. These two centers are well known for their brutality. People who spent time there relates about the hell, which is inflicted to people, stuffed in overcrowded cells with almost no food, tortures and also beatings. However, if before people would spend only 5 to 10 days in such conditions, now, since a few weeks, the government decided that whoever would take part in the riots would be condemned to 3 years in jail.

“A friend of mine was abused with a truncheon sticked up in the anus” comments Ellina, 25. “Other people were beaten, bleeding a lot, or they left the country because persecuted”. These are only a few descriptions that come out from her mouth. She is shocked, as all her nation. She wears a t-shit representing the most famous Belarusian painting bought from Viktor Babarika, one the main opposition leaders today in jail. “Wearing this t-shirt could lead you to jail. We are at that point”.

The government’s brutality surprised everyone. Among people who suffered beating in jail there is Maksim, a direct witness: “They arrested me while I was filming. They punched me hardly while the took me to Akrestina. There they tortured me. They sprayed my hairs with varnish. I complained to the commander, saying that policemen did it. But this made them to beat me even worse, before tying my legs and arms behind my back, pushing me down to the floor. The more I screamed, the more they got nervous increasing the violence in beating me”.

"Other people were beaten, bleeding a lot, or they left the country because persecuted" - Ellina

"We want new elections. This is our right. The president took the power by force and this is not fair. We will continue to demonstrate peacefully" - Aleksej

When the demonstration ends, people disperse. This is the most dangerous moment. “I always go to the demonstrations after the beginning and I get out before the end. Otherwise, you risk being arrested” says Olga, a 34-year-old casting director active during the marches. “However, I always put high heels when I go to the protest so I will not be able to escape”. At the end of the day, according to official sources, at least 400 people have been detained. But nobody believes it, judging they are way more.

On Monday, everything seems normal. Nobody says a word, while everything happens silently. Telegram is full of news. Police intervenes to stop gatherings. In the neighborhoods, every evening, people meet bringing food, drinks and singing popular songs. It is the moment to stay together, discuss and talk. In Nowaja Barawaja neighborhood, one of the capital’s most subversive districts, Aleksej, 38, joins the meeting. A singer entertains tens of people with red and white flags. “We want new elections. This is our right” – he declares – “the president took the power by force and this is not fair. We hope that sanctions could help us, but we will continue to demonstrate peacefully”.

Sanctions have been implemented by the European Union on Lukashenko and some important politicians of his government last month, freezing goods and introducing a travel ban.

Despite a lot of people being victims of authority’s abused, people still are trying to talk with the police. But no one seems to be listening. When, on the 23^rd of September, Lukashenko decided to anticipate the presidential inauguration without saying anything, people became crazy. In the streets of Minsk, people started blocking the main avenues with cars to prevent the police from reaching the demonstrators easily. Tens of cars have been destroyed by armed policemen. Many have been detained. “They say the anger Is increasing” utters Tom. But despite EU sanctions, not many has been done so far to stop Lukashenko’s stubborn will to keep the power, supported as well by Moscow.

“The goal is destroying their live and to scare them in the same way they are doing with common people. These are are frustrated and government brainwashed” - anonymus hacker

"Police and government are like a terrorist organization" - Olga

Nobody wants to destroy what has been made so far. People are proud to have kept the demonstrators peaceful. Everybody tries to live normally. Restaurants work in front of people chanting and marching. People sit and drink coffee while Amon are assaulting protestors. They film and take pictures to share them on Telegram. Everybody does something to spread the news. A lot of hackers try to enter illegally governmental websites and the national held TV, sending ultimatums and threatening to destroy the tax system. Others identify special forces covered with balaclavas, taking them off and sending their pictures to a website, which through commentaries and information tries to uncover their identity unveiling all their data: name, last name, birthdate, home address, phone number and also the Facebook profile. “The goal is destroying their live and to scare them in the same way they are doing with common people. These are are frustrated and government brainwashed” says one of them, through a secret chat on Telegram.

Belarusians seem to have found an unprecedented unity and a common struggle, waking them up from a long sleep. And if a lot of youngsters say that they wanted to leave the country for various reasons, mainly economically or freedom-related, now they changed their minds: “I wanted to leave all this behind. But now I will stay to fight with my people to see a change” says Pavel. “I wanted to go far away. But now I’ll stay. We all know that economical consequences will be hard, but we do not care so much after all. We are aware of it. But we want freedom” concludes Anna, 23.

People continue to march. Entire families risk every day to go to prison, but this wave seems to be stronger than anything else. It is very difficult that Belarus will remain what it was.

When Belarusians seek a brave and peaceful change

Subcribe to our newsletter