Belarus
DEMOCRACY-PERCENTAGE Democracy Percentage | 1.79 100 |
DEMOCRACY-SCORE Democracy Score | 1.11 7 |
![](/https/freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/styles/768x400_fp_scale_crop_/public/2024-08/Civic_Mobilizations_Belarus_ElectionProtestBelarus.jpg?h=d75739cd&itok=VoUXdt20)
The political and human rights crisis in Belarus worsened in 2023. The authorities continued to stifle civil society voices that have demanded democracy. Under President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian rule, arbitrary arrests, politically motivated prosecutions, surveillance, censorship, and intimidation have become the new reality. Some of the violations committed in the years since the government’s 2020 crackdown on protests against Lukashenka’s continued rule, including in 2023, could be considered crimes against humanity.1
Since 2020, the number of political prisoners has been on the rise, reaching 1,441 people by the end of December 2023.2 Some political prisoners were released in 2023 after serving their sentences in full,3 but others were rearrested after their initial prison terms ended.4 Released political prisoners who avoided rearrest reported torturous conditions in prison and difficulties reintegrating into Belarusian society.5
The regime enjoys largely unfettered discretion in implementing new repressive measures against its population. The government’s toolbox of repressive techniques to silence dissenters continues to grow and targets Belarusians both at home and abroad.
Authorities use “anti-extremism” laws to systematically persecute political opponents.6 According to the prosecutor general, the government has registered 16,000 crimes of “an extremist nature” since 2020.7 The government designated the Viasna Human Rights Center,8 the Belarusian Association of Journalists,9 and the Union of Belarusian Mothers antiwar movement “extremist formations” in 2023,10 effectively criminalizing any cooperation with such organizations as “aiding extremism.” Antiwar activism and speech, such as informing independent sources on the movement of Russian military equipment,11 donating to the Ukrainian army and/or the Kalinousky regiment of Belarusian volunteer combatants,12 or posting online comments critical of the Russian military,13 are regularly prosecuted on “anti-extremism” grounds. Engaging with “extremist” content online is increasingly risky and has cost Belarusians their liberty.14 Under the newly amended citizenship law, Belarusians can lose their citizenship for “extremist activities” or “otherwise harming national security.”15
The pressure on Belarusians in exile exponentially increased in 2023. Lukashenka’s September presidential edict stating that Belarusian consulates would no longer issue passports, instead requiring citizens to return to Belarus to renew their passports, threatened to cause a freedom of movement crisis.16 Belarusians who remain abroad without renewing their passports risk being stranded and their children could become undocumented. Citizens who return to Belarus to renew their passports risk losing their freedom, especially as the frequency of searches, interrogations, and arrests at the border increases.17
A wave of searches at the apartments of democracy activists in November,18 as well as pressure on their relatives,19 illustrates the authorities’ incessant intimidation of dissidents, whose political activism threatens the regime’s stability. The crackdown came amid preparations for 2024 parliamentary elections, which also prompted the authorities to adopt a law that required political parties to re-register and established stringent registration requirements.20 The law threatened the continued existence of Belarus’s remaining opposition parties.
Incommunicado detentions of high-profile political prisoners are a source of growing concern.21 By cutting off prisoners’ communication with family and lawyers and withholding information about their health, the authorities create a sense of isolation and powerlessness for prominent dissidents behind bars. When information about Viktar Babaryka’s alleged physical assault in prison surfaced, five doctors from the hospital treating him were detained, arrested, fined, and subsequently dismissed.22 Two political prisoners died in Belarusian prisons in 2023—blogger Mikalai Klimovich23 and artist Ales Pushkin.24
Belarus has assisted Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war, which further tied Lukashenka’s regime to Putin’s. Belarus increasingly requires the vocal or tacit approval of Russia for its foreign policy decisions and antiwar speech remains one of the most common grounds for political persecution.25
- 1“Belarus rights abuses may amount to ‘crime against humanity’ - UN report,” Reuters, 17 March 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/un-report-says-belarus-rights-abus….
- 2“List of Political Prisoners,” Viasna, https://prisoners.spring96.org/en.
- 3“Digest of the released: 52 political prisoners were released in September, 45 of them after the expiration of the term,” Viasna, 6 October 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/112998.
- 4“'Новае затрыманне — пытанне толькі часу.' Як у Беларусі пераследуюць былых палітвязняў” [“New arrest is just a matter of time.” How former political prisoners are persecuted in Belarus], Viasna, 10 October 2023, https://spring96.org/be/news/113030; “Полине Шарендо-Панасюк назначили еще 1 год заключения” [Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk sentenced to another year of imprisonment], Euroradio, 9 October 2023, https://euroradio.fm/ru/poline-sharendo-panasyuk-naznachili-esche-1-god…; “Полина не выйдет. Как и за что политзаключенным добавляют сроки, лишая надежды на освобождение” [Palina is not coming out. How political prisoners get additional sentences and are deprived of the hope for release], Zerkalo.io, 10 August 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/45936.html.
- 5“«Сказано увольнять без объяснения причины». Как экс-политзаключенные пытаются наладить жизнь в стране, которая против них” ["I was told to fire them with no explanation.” How ex-political prisoners are trying to organize life in a country that is against them], Zerkalo.io, 30 November 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/54665.html; “‘Табе ж раней не прыціскалі яйкі? Прыедзем у аддзяленне, даведаешся, што гэта такое.’ Гісторыя былога палітвязня” [“Have you ever got your balls clutched before? When we get to the station, you will get what it is like.” Story of a former political prisoner], Viasna, https://spring96.org/be/news/113065.
- 6“Belarus: ‘Anti-extremism’ legislation used to further suppress civil society”, Human Constanta, ARTICLE 19, Access Now, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), 6 June 2023, https://www.article19.org/resources/belarus-anti-extremism-legislation-…; “Belarus misuses counter-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to stifle dissent: UN expert”, OHCHR, 26 October 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/belarus-misuses-counter….
- 7“Генпрокуратура насчитала более 16 тысяч преступлений «экстремистского характера» с 2020 года” [General Prosecutor’s Office documented more than 16,000 crimes “of extremist nature” since 2020], Zerkalo.io, 8 November 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/53418.html.
- 8“Belarus: Viasna Human Rights Center was declared an ‘extremist formation,” World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), 28 August 2023, https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/belarus-viasna-h….
- 9“Belarus: Belarusian Association of Journalists designated as ‘extremist formation,’” World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), 15 March 2023, https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/belarus-belarusian-associa….
- 10“"Союз матерей" ответил на признание его в Беларуси "экстремистским"” [“Union of Belarusian Mothers” responded to its designation as “extremist formation”], Euroradio, 9 October 2023, https://euroradio.fm/ru/soyuz-materey-otvetil-na-priznanie-ego-v-belaru….
- 11“Могилевчанин получил 2,5 года колонии за съёмку военной техники” [Mogilev resident sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment for filming military equipment], Mspring.media, 18 August 2023, https://mspring.media/ru/video-crime/; “Палітвязня асудзілі на 2,5 гады калоніі за перасылку відэа вайсковай тэхнікі” [Political prisoner sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment for forwarding the video of military equipment], 11 September 2023, https://spring96.org/be/news/112721.
- 12“Гомельскага прадпрымальніка асудзілі за падтрымку Украіны і данаты ў фонд салідарнасці” [Homiel entrepreneur tried for support to Ukraine and donations to solidarity funds], Viasna, 17 August 2023, https://spring96.org/be/news/112521; “У Гомелі загадчыка аптэкі асудзілі да 6 гадоў калоніі за данаты і фота расейскай вайсковай тэхнікі” [In Homiel, pharmacy administrator sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment for donations and pictures of military equipment], Viasna, 5 September 2023, https://spring96.org/be/news/112681.
- 13“Силовики отчитались о задержании студента, администрировавшего «националистический чат» беларусов и украинцев” [Law enforcement reported on detaining a student, administering “nationalistic” chat of Belarusians and Ukrainians], Mediazona.by, 7 September 2023, https://mediazona.by/news/2023/09/07/chat-admin.
- 14“Суд приговорил жителя Скиделя, вернувшегося из Польши, к шести годам колонии за комментарии в ЧКБ” [Skidel resident, who just returned from Poland, sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment for leaving comments in the Black Book of Belarus channel], Mediazona.by, 18 August 2023, https://mediazona.by/news/2023/08/18/mekeko.
- 15“«Нужно соблюсти три условия». Кого из уехавших беларусов могут лишить гражданства” [“Three conditions must be met.” Which Belarusian exiles may be deprived of citizenship?], Mediazona.by, 12 July 2023, https://mediazona.by/article/2023/07/12/citizenship.
- 16Hanna Liubakova, “Belarus dictator weaponizes passports in new attack on exiled opposition,” Atlantic Council, 6 September 2023, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/belarus-dictator-wea….
- 17“Начали задерживать белорусов, вернувшихся в страну за новым паспортом. Подробности от BYSOL” [Detentions of Belarusians returning to the country to exchange passports began. BYSOL explains], Zerkalo.io, 27 September 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/49951.html; “За что беларусов чаще всего задерживают на границе?” [What are the most common reasons for detentions at the border?], Belsat, 13 July 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/13-07-2023-za-chto-belarusov-chashhe-vsego-za…; “At least 58 arrested at border crossings when returning to Belarus,” Viasna, 5 February 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/110653.
- 18“Belarus: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the regime’s latest attacks on democratic forces,” European Union External Action Service, 29 November 2023, https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/belarus-statement-high-representative-j…; “Пришли к Латушко, Чалому. Массовые обыски у людей, связанных с Координационным советом оппозиции” [They came to Latushka, Chaly. Mass searches of people connected to the Coordination Council of Belarusian opposition], Nasha Niva, 28 November 2023, https://nashaniva.com/ru/331104; “СК Беларуси заявил о 100 фигурантах «дела Координационного совета»” [Investigative Committee of Belarus spoke about 100 suspects in the “Coordination Council case”], Belsat, 28 Nivember 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/28-11-2023-sk-belarusi-zayavil-o-100-figurant….
- 19“У родителей писателя Саши Филипенко в Беларуси прошел обыск” [Home of novelist Sasha Filipenko’s parents searched], DW, 9 November 2023, https://www.dw.com/ru/u-roditelej-pisatela-sasi-filipenko-v-belarusi-pr…; “В Новополоцке задержали мать советницы Тихановской по молодежной политике” [Mother of Tsikhanouskaya’s counsel on youth policy detained n Navapolatsk], Zerkalo.io, 30 November 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/55210.html.
- 20“Belarus launches campaign of forced liquidation of political parties,” CSOMeter, 13 July 2023, https://csometer.info/updates/belarus-launches-campaign-forced-liquidat….
- 21“Human Rights in Belarus: the Main Trends of Public Policy”, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, January-June 2023, p. 27, https://belhelcom.org/sites/default/files/trends_jan-june23_human_right….
- 22“Human Rights in Belarus,” p. 27, https://belhelcom.org/sites/default/files/trends_jan-june23_human_right….
- 23“Appeal to the UN Special Procedures regarding the death of Mikalai Klimovich,” Belarusian Helsinki Committee, 16 May 2023, https://belhelcom.org/en/news/appeal-un-special-procedures-regarding-de….
- 24“Ales Pushkin, Dissident Artist in Belarus, Is Dead in Prison at 57,” The New York Times, 25 July 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/world/europe/ales-pushkin-dead.html; “Joint Statement from Belarus human rights defenders’ community on the death in prison of artist Aleś Puškin,” PEN Belarus, 12 July 2023, https://penbelarus.org/en/2023/07/12/supolnaya-zayava-pravaabaronchaj-s….
- 25“Пытали, избивали, простреливали колени. Правозащитники подсчитали, сколько белорусов задержали за антивоенную позицию” [Tortured, beaten, shot in the knees. Human rights defenders calculated how many Belarusians were detained for ant-war stance], Zerkalo.io, 18 October 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/51840.html.
National governance in Belarus remains autocratic, with the president’s powers effectively unchecked by other branches. As evidenced from mandating by the law requiring political parties to re-register in the run up to 2024 parliamentary elections, the authorities have made the continued existence of opposition parties impossible and further reduced political competition. State-sponsored crackdowns on civil society persist, with activists prosecuted on criminal and administrative grounds under a host of “anti-extremism” laws. Many organizations have been outlawed and the government has rooted out individuals perceived to be disloyal from professional communities to reduce opposition to the regime’s policies. Attacks on independent media persist. The government brands independent journalism “extremism” and engaging with “extremist” outlets or content poses immediate risks for journalists, readers, and informants. Local government remains subordinate to the central authorities and often receives direct orders from the executive branch. The judiciary in Belarus is routinely used to implement repressive policies and fails to guarantee fair trials. Available public data is shrinking, making the country less transparent. Authorities often extract payment from people to avoid criminal prosecution, effectively normalizing corruption as state policy.
Considers the democratic character of the governmental system; and the independence, effectiveness, and accountability of the legislative and executive branches. | 1.001 7.007 |
- Authoritarianism persisted, with no meaningful checks and balances and government intolerance of any dissent. In the run up to 2024 parliamentary elections, the government further consolidated power and eliminated even formal opposition. A new law adopted in 2023 required political parties, which already operated under state control and had little independence, to re-register.1 The registration requirements were so strict that the authorities disbanded 12 parties (including every opposition party), with only four left at the end of 2023.2
- Widescale political repression and the suppression of dissent persisted in 2023. According to the Viasna Human Rights Center, the number of political prisoners only slightly decreased from 1,448 in January3 to 1,441 in December.4 The government prosecuted at least 6,386 people for administrative “minor” offences in 2023 for protest related activities.5
- In June, President Lukashenka issued a decree on the “concept of legal policy,” which stated that the government’s legal policies would be based on a “strong president, influential parliament, and proactive government, with the overarching role of the ABPA [All Belarusian People’s Assembly].”6 This approach, which, according to human rights defenders, provides “the ideological foundations of lawlessness,” 7 retains the effectively unlimited executive power of Lukashenka.
- Separation of powers in Belarus is symbolic. In Lukashenka’s autocratic regime, the president controls all major political decisions. Despite ample evidence of election fraud,8 Lukashenka has remained president since 1994. The constitutional amendments adopted after the 2022 referendum9 and the law passed in February that established the ABPA have further strengthened Lukashenka. As the ABPA chairman (a role reserved for Lukashenka according to the constitutional exception allowing him to occupy this post together with the presidency), he is poised to assume control over the powerful body. The ABPA will have the authority to elect Supreme Court and Constitutional Court chairs and judges, declare a nationwide state of emergency, and cancel the results of presidential elections, among other powers.10
- Parliamentary and local elections were planned for February 2024, followed by the selection of ABPA delegates. The ABPA will have 1,200 seats, including all newly elected members of parliament, all senior government officials, and nominees from new local councils and several progovernment “civil society organizations” (CSOs).11 The authorities’ rhetoric suggests that the ABPA and the parliament will be comprised of the regime’s supporters and exclude any dissenters.12 In preparation for the election, Lukashenka noted that while “there will be different points of view . . . there will be no enemies” in the APBA.13
- While Lukashenka acts as an autocrat and almost exclusively determines the country’s repressive domestic policies, Russia significantly influences Belarus’s foreign policy decisions. Belarus remains complicit in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. While most Russian troops have withdrawn from Belarus,14 in 2023 the country became the base for Russian tactical nuclear weapons15 and Wagner mercenaries.16
- 1“Monitoring the situation of freedom of association and civil society organisations in the Republic of Belarus August 2023,” Lawtrend, August 2023, https://www.lawtrend.org/english/monitoring-the-situation-of-freedom-of….
- 2“В Беларуси остались всего четыре политические партии” [Only four political parties are left in Belarus], Zerkalo.io, 2 October 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/50355.html.
- 3“Human Rights Situation in Belarus in 2021: Analytical review,” Viasna, 1 January 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/106329
- 4List of Political Prisoners, Viasna, https://prisoners.spring96.org/en
- 5“At least 2,000 arrested: results of administrative prosecution in 2023”, Viasna, 12 January 2024, https://spring96.org/en/news/113956.
- 6“О Концепции правовой политики Республики Беларусь. Указ № 196 от 28 июня 2023 г.” [On the Legal Policy Concept. Order No. 196 of 28 June 2023], https://president.gov.by/ru/documents/ukaz-no-196-ot-28-iyunya-2023-g.
- 7“Human Rights in Belarus: the Main Trends of Public Policy,” Belarusian Helsinki Committee, January-June 2023, https://belhelcom.org/sites/default/files/trends_jan-june23_human_right…, p. 11.
- 8“Belarus: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the second anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections”, Council of the EU, 8 August 2022, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/08/08/bela…; “Presidential Election in the Republic of Belarus”, OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/0/0/218981.pdf; “Presidential Election in the Republic of Belarus”, OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, 19 December 2010, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/6/4/75713.pdf; “Presidential Election in the Republic of Belarus”, OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, 19 March 2006, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/4/c/19395.pdf; “Presidential Election in the Republic of Belarus”, OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report, 9 September 2001, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/4/c/19395.pdf
- 9“Referendum 2022: Final Report”, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Viasna, 24 May 2022, https://belhelcom.org/sites/default/files/referendum_2022_final_report_…
- 10“On All-Belarusian People Assembly,” https://pravo.by/document/?guid=3871&p0=H12300248.
- 11Artyom Shraibman, “Belarus Gears Up for Elections and Powerful New People’s Assembly,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/91004.
- 12“Лукашенко рассказал, каких людей власть поддержит на предстоящих выборах” [Lukashenka told which people the authorities will support in the upcoming elections], Belta, 25 September 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-rasskazal-kakih-ljudej-v….
- 13“Лукашенко о будущем составе ВНС: там будут разные точки зрения, но не будет врагов” [Lukashenka on the new composition of ABPA: there will be different points of view, but no enemies], Belta, 19 June 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-o-buduschem-sostave-vns-…; “Лукашенко обсудил с главой ЦИК подготовку к электоральной кампании 2024 года” [Lukashenka discussed the preparation to the 2024 election campaign with the head of the Central Electoral Commission], Belta, 19 June 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-obsudil-s-glavoj-tsik-po….
- 14“Russia withdraws almost all its troops from Belarus – State Border Guard of Ukraine,” Ukrainska Pravda, 14 July 2023, https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/07/14/7411314/.
- 15“Belarus starts taking delivery of Russian nuclear weapons,” Reuters, 14 June 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/belarus-has-started-taking-deliver….
- 16“Wagner: Satellite images reveal Belarus camp arrival,” BBC, 19 July 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66234260.
Examines national executive and legislative elections, the electoral framework, the functioning of multiparty systems, and popular participation in the political process. | 1.001 7.007 |
- Amendments to the Electoral Code passed in February made the possibility of free and fair elections even more remote. According to the amendments, Belarusians who hold dual citizenship or receive benefits from another country based on political, religious, or national factors cannot stand as candidates in elections.1 This rule may especially affect the many Belarusians holding a “Pole's Card,” a document provided by the Polish government that certifies the Polish origin of its holder.2 The Pole’s Card is not equivalent to a passport or residence permit.3 The new code also bans photographing ballot papers, a tactic widely used during the 2020 presidential election to ensure transparency and identify state-coordinated electoral fraud.4
- The new rules also prevent Belarusians living abroad from voting—there will be no polling stations at Belarusian embassies.5 According to estimates, between 200,000 and 500,000 Belarusians living abroad were forced into exile in the aftermath of the 2020 election for fear of persecution.6 Denying the vote to Belarusians abroad therefore prevents dissenters from participating in the political process.
- The parliament passed a new law regulating political parties in February, which also affected the electoral process. According to the law, at least 5,000 founders are required to create a political party, with at least 100 from each region and the city of Minsk.7 The law also required political parties to re-register.8 Although political parties lacked independence before the law passed,9 the legislation more strictly controls them and further erodes political opposition. Lukashenka said he was convinced that “new patriotic parties will appear” because of the law, while “accidental companions” (political parties that would fail to satisfy the new registration criteria) would be eliminated to avoid “turbulence in the society” and ensure that party functionaries followed the ABPA course.10
- Over the next two years, Belarus faces parliamentary and local elections, the selection of ABPA delegates, and a presidential election in 2025. The Lukashenka administration’s near-total control of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), which organizes all elections and referenda, was on display as the government began preparations for the upcoming elections. In June, the chairman of the CEC provided a written report on preparations for the 2024 elections directly to Lukashenka for his approval.11 State media attended the meeting between Lukashenka and the CEC chairman and reported on it, illustrating the CEC’s complete subordination to Lukashenka.12
- It is uncertain whether independent observers will be allowed during the upcoming elections, given the official rhetoric. In a March address to citizens and the parliament, Lukashenka stated that members of parliament and the ABPA would be chosen by the Belarusian people and not by “mythical OSCE observers.”13
- Government propaganda is prevalent in the run-up to elections. The CEC chairman said the commission regularly conducts regional workshops for representatives of “ideological structures” that are directly involved in administering the elections.14
- 1“Опубликованы обновленные закон о партиях и Избирательный кодекс” [Amendments to the Law on Political Parties and Electoral Code Published], Reform.by, 21 February 2023, https://reform.by/opublikovany-obnovlennye-zakon-o-partijah-i-izbiratel….
- 2“«Этому нет оправдания». МИД Польши прокомментировал давление на владельцев карты поляка в Беларуси” [Polish MFA commented on the pressure exerted on “Pole’s card” holders in Belarus], Zerkalo.io, 8 July 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/43330.html.
- 3“«Этому нет оправдания». МИД Польши прокомментировал давление на владельцев карты поляка в Беларуси” [Polish MFA commented on the pressure exerted on “Pole’s card” holders in Belarus], Zerkalo.io, 8 July 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/43330.html.
- 4“Golos platform presents the final report on the presidential election,” Voice of Belarus, 20 August 2020, https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/golos-final-election-report/.
- 5“Белорусам зарубежья предлагают для голосования на выборах приехать на родину” [Belarusians abroad are offered to return to Belarus to vote], Euroradio, 27 September 2023, https://euroradio.fm/ru/belorusam-zarubezhya-predlagayut-dlya-golosovan…
- 6“«Подрывается потенциал экономики». Сколько белорусов могло выехать из страны после выборов 2020 года и чем это грозит нашей стране” [“Undermining economic potential.” How many people could have left Belarus since 2020 elections and how it threatens our country], Zerkalo.io, 2 February 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/31763.html; “Belarusians in exile: an overlooked issue addressed by the Parliamentary Assembly,” Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 25 January 2023, https://pace.coe.int/en/news/8955/belarusians-in-exile-an-overlooked-is….
- 7“Опубликованы обновленные закон о партиях и Избирательный кодекс” [Amendments to the Law on Political Parties and Electoral Code Published], Reform.by, 21 February 2023, https://reform.by/opublikovany-obnovlennye-zakon-o-partijah-i-izbiratel….
- 8“Monitoring the situation of freedom of association and civil society organisations in the Republic of Belarus August 2023,” Lawtrend, August 2023, https://www.lawtrend.org/english/monitoring-the-situation-of-freedom-of….
- 9Volha Charnysh and Tatsiana Kulakevich, “Belarus: Belarusian Political Parties: Organizational Structures and Practices”, Organizational Structures of Political Parties in Central and Eastern European Countries, Jagiellonian University Press, 2017, pp. 41 - 58, https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/organizational-structures-of-p…
- 10“Лукашенко требует очистить политическое поле от "случайных попутчиков" [Lukashenka demands to clear the political field of “accidental companions”], Sputnik, 13 December 2022, https://sputnik.by/20221213/lukashenko-trebuet-ochistit-politicheskoe-p….
- 11“Лукашенко обсудил с главой ЦИК подготовку к электоральной кампании 2024 года” [Lukashenka discussed the preparation to the 2024 election campaign with the head of the Central Electoral Commission], Belta, 19 June 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-obsudil-s-glavoj-tsik-po….
- 12“[Lukashenka discussed the preparation to the 2024 election campaign],” https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-obsudil-s-glavoj-tsik-po….
- 13“Лукашенко: выбирать делегатов ВНС и депутатов будет белорусский народ, а не мифические наблюдатели от ОБСЕ” [Lukashenka: ABPA and members of the parliament will be chosen by the Belarusian people and not some mythical OSCE observers], Belta, 31 March 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-vybirat-delegatov-vns-i-….
- 14“ЦИК: особое внимание в преддверии единого дня голосования уделяется просветительской деятельности” [CEC: special attention is paid to public awareness campaigns], Belta, 27 September 2023, https://www.belta.by/society/view/tsik-osoboe-vnimanie-v-preddverii-edi….
Assesses the organizational capacity and financial sustainability of the civic sector; the legal and political environment in which it operates; the functioning of trade unions; interest group participation in the policy process; and the threat posed by antidemocratic extremist groups. | 1.251 7.007 |
- Civil society has faced intense repression since the 2020 protests and continued to endure incessant state pressure in 2023. Mass repression has led to the “destruction of institutionalized civil society in Belarus,” according to the Observatory of Human Rights Defenders, a global coalition of human rights NGOs.1 By the end of 2023, the NGO Lawtrend had documented at least 960 nonprofit organizations that had undergone forced liquidation, in which the government denies an organization it’s official registration and it is no longer a legal entity.2 Lawtrend also found that 549 organizations were in the process of self-liquidation due to government pressure on the sector.3 Authorities even crack down on small acts of solidarity. For instance, the organizer of a neighborhood meeting about establishing a shelter for stray cats was sentenced to 15 days in jail in February for an “unsanctioned mass gathering.”4 With civic space shrinking, civil resistance movements have been forced underground or into exile, allowing them to operate in a safer manner and remain resilient.5
- In February, Lukashenka signed the Law on the Foundations of Civil Society, which defines civil society as “citizens . . . expressing their civic stance by taking part in communities and institutions not prohibited by the law.”6 This definition excludes criminalized CSOs and activists.7 The newly re-introduced Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code continues to criminalize working on behalf of “unregistered or liquidated organization” and may apply to unregistered CSOs.8
- In March, Nobel laureate and head of Viasna Human Rights Center Ales Bialiatski was sentenced to 10 years in prison for alleged “smuggling” and “financing group actions grossly violating public order.”9 In June, prominent human rights defender Nasta Lojka was sentenced to seven years in prison on politically motivated charges of “inciting hatred.”10 Also in June, fellow human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka was released from prison after serving his three-year prison sentence.11 Political prisoners who stay in Belarus after their release continue to face discrimination when reintegrating into society.12
- “Anti-extremism” laws are routinely used to persecute civil society,13 even to acts that were conducted before they were formally criminalized.14 Citizens face persecution for antiwar speech15 or intending to join Belarusian volunteers fighting on the side of the Ukrainian army.16 The Prosecutor General’s Office has documented 16,000 crimes of an “extremist nature” since 2020.17 Criminal and administrative rules, as well as and several “extremist” lists,18 are increasingly used to curb civic activism online, such as giving interviews to media outlets recognized as “extremist,”19 leaving online comments,20 administering Telegram channels,21 or making donations to “extremist” solidarity funds or organizations.22 Law enforcement publicizes coerced “confession videos” of detainees to intimidate and humiliate them.23 The practice has notably spread from police stations to university classrooms. Among many examples,24 in May, Belarusian State University posted a video on its official Instagram page of a student who “confessed” to spreading “discrediting information” about the university’s administration.25
- In June, the Prosecutor General’s Office initiated the process of introducing administrative accountability for the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations, sex change, pedophilia, and child-free,” citing the interests of children as a rationale.26 LGBTQ+ people are at higher risk of torture, sexualized violence, and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in detention.27
- Multiple professional communities are affected by the ongoing repression. Lawyers continued to be disbarred or otherwise deprived of the right to practice law,28 culture workers reported unprecedented censorship and multiple dismissals from cultural institutions,29 and personal trainers are barred from working if they are found guilty of protest-related crimes.30 Artists and entertainers face enormous pressure from the regime and operate under strict censorship and intimidation. Artists have stated that “deterioration is simply galloping” and “repressions are becoming increasingly extensive.”31
- In December, President Lukashenka signed a law that amended the Law on the Freedom of Conscience. 32 Under the new law, only organizations registered as legal entities can acquire official “religious organization” status under the law, while others may be liquidated for “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” or “undermining its sovereignty.”33 New Life Church was the first target for liquidation under the new law and a court ordered it disbanded in October.34 Disloyal religious figures are also targeted using other methods. In November, the rector of a Catholic church in Volozhin was arrested on high treason charges.35 The authorities detained at least 10 priests in Belarus in 2023.36
- Legislative amendments announced in 2023 will make it mandatory for university and trade school graduates to work in Belarus for two years, often at a job mandated by the state. 37 The law curtails graduates’ freedom of movement and denies them the liberty to choose their own career path.38 The education system is increasingly influenced by state ideology. Historical perspectives are distorted by anti-Western ideology, while students are mandated to learn state-dominated narratives about the 2020 elections, 2022 referendum, and the role of ABPA.39
- 1“Suppression of the Right to Defend Human Rights in Belarus: Policy and Legislative Changes in 2021-2023,” Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, June 2023, https://www.omct.org/site-resources/files/Suppression-of-the-Right-to-D….
- 2“Monitoring the situation of freedom of association and civil society organisations in the Republic of Belarus December 2023,” Lawtrend, December 2023, https://www.lawtrend.org/english/monitoring-the-situation-of-freedom-of….
- 3“Monitoring the situation,” https://www.lawtrend.org/english/monitoring-the-situation-of-freedom-of…
- 4“Зоозащитница позвала на открытие дома для кошек — ее обвинили в «дестабилизации ситуации в стране» и отправили на «сутки»” [Animal activist gathered people to open a shelter for stray cats – she was accused of “destabilizing the situation in the country” and sentenced to administrative arrest], Zerkalo.io, 26 February 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/33423.html.
- 5Tatsiana Chulitskaya and Natallia Rabava, “Between Survival and Standby: A Review of Civil Society in the Regions of Belarus Monitoring (January – June 2023) Research report,” Bipart, 20 November 2023, https://bipart.eu/en/articles/between-survival-and-standby-review-civil….
- 6Law of the Republic of Belarus “On the Foundations of Civil Society” No. 250-З, 14 February 2023, https://pravo.by/document/?guid=12551&p0=H12300250&p1=1&p5=0
- 7“Suppression of the Right to Defend Human Rights,” https://www.omct.org/site-resources/files/Suppression-of-the-Right-to-D…; “Outlawing Human Rights work in Belarus,” Human Constanta, 8 February 2022, https://humanconstanta.org/en/outlawing-human-rights-work-in-belarus/.
- 8The newly re-introduced Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code continues to criminalize working on behalf of “unregistered or liquidated organization” and may apply to unregistered CSOs and political parties which failed to undergo re-registration (see “Political parties”). The work or civil society actors may also be declared illegal under other criminal and administrative grounds, including under a host of “anti-extremist” rules, routinely used as a tool of oppression in Belarus. See, for instance, “Overview of the fight against “extremism” in Belarus for April-June 2023”, Human Constanta, 21 August 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/en/overview-of-the-fight-against-extremism-i…;
- 9“Belarus: Verdict against Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski an effort to quash scrutiny and dissent say UN experts,” Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 3 March 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/belarus-verdict-against….
- 10“Belarus authorities should immediately and unconditionally release woman human rights defender Nasta Loika” (joint statement of 16 CSOs), Human Constanta, 22 June 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/en/belarus-authorities-should-immediately-an…; “Report on the serious threat to the OSCE human dimension in Belarus since 5 November 2020,” para. 145, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, 11 May 2023, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/5/543240.pdf.
- 11“Leanid Sudalenka released after serving jail term in full”, European Platform for Democratic Elections, 21 June 2023, https://www.epde.org/en/news/details/leanid-sudalenka-released-after-se….
- 12“«Сказано увольнять без объяснения причины». Как экс-политзаключенные пытаются наладить жизнь в стране, которая против них” ["I was told to fire them with no explanation.” How ex-political prisoners are trying to organize life in a country that is against them], Zerkalo.io, 30 November 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/54665.html.
- 13“Belarus misuses counter-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to stifle dissent: UN expert,” OHCHR, 26 October 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/belarus-misuses-counter….
- 14”Обратная сила антиэкстремистского законодательства в Беларуси: почему могут дать штраф или сутки за репосты десятилетней давности” [Retroactive force of anti-extremism laws in Belarus: why people may be fined or detained for 10-year old reposts], Human Constanta, 24 January 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/obratnaya-sila-antiekstremistskogo-zakonodat…
- 15“Пытали, избивали, простреливали колени. Правозащитники подсчитали, сколько белорусов задержали за антивоенную позицию” [Tortured, beaten, shot in the knees. Human rights defenders calculated how many Belarusians were detained for ant-war stance], Zerkalo.io, 18 October 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/51840.html
- 16“Shot in knees and jailed: what Belarusians risks for their anti-war stance,” Viasna, 24 January 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/110533; “Report on the serious threat,” para. 101, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/5/543240.pdf,; “Suppression of the Right to Defend Human Rights,” p. 9, https://www.omct.org/site-resources/files/Suppression-of-the-Right-to-D…; “Белорус написал в фейковый бот полка Калиновского. Ему перезвонили и пригласили в Витебск «на точку сбора» для отправки в Украину” [Belarusian texted the fake chatbot of Kalinovskiy regiment. He was called backed and invited to a “meeting spot” Vitebsk to relocate to Ukraine], Zerkalo.io, 16 September 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/49826.html.
- 17“Генпрокуратура насчитала более 16 тысяч преступлений «экстремистского характера» с 2020 года” [General Prosecutor’s Office documented more than 16,000 crimes “of extremist nature” since 2020], Zerkalo.io, 8 November 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/53418.html.
- 18“Шесть видов запрещённых списков в Беларуси: как в них разобраться и какая ответственность” [Six “prohibited” lists in Belarus: how to navigate them and what are the consequences], 26 May 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/shest-vidov-zapreshhyonnyx-spiskov-v-belarus….
- 19“In Belarus, Jailed for Protecting Loved Ones: Authorities Prosecute Families of Political Prisoners,” Human Rights Watch, 23 January 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/01/23/belarus-jailed-protecting-loved-ones; “Lawyer Aliaksandr Danilevich sentenced to 10 years in jail for legal services to opposition,” Viasna, 10 April 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/111396
- 20“How the authorities in Belarus persecute readers and journalists of “extremist" media”, Viasna, 20 August 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/112626; “«Дело Зельцера». Спустя два года правозащитникам известно о 124 приговорах за комментарии о трагедии в Минске” [Zeltser’s case: after 2 years HRDs documented 124 sentences for commenting about the incident in Minsk], Zerkalo.io, 26 September 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/49826.html
- 21“25‑летнюю Яну Пинчук осудили на 12 лет колонии; среди обвинений — создание террористической организации” [25-year old Yana Pinchuk sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment; one of the charges is creating a terrorist organization], Mediazona.by, 6 June 2023, https://mediazona.by/news/2023/06/06/pinchuk. For more examples of persecution on “anti-extremism” grounds see “Overview of the fight against “extremism” in Belarus for April-June 2023,” Human Constanta, 21 August 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/en/overview-of-the-fight-against-extremism-i….
- 22“В Бресте психолога с подозрением на тяжелое заболевание приговорили к колонии за комментарии и донат в 97 долларов” [Psychologist with suspected serious disease sentenced to imprisonment for online comments and 97 USD donation in Brest], Zerkalo.io, 28 September 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/50039.html; “В Гомеле девушку приговорили к 3 годам колонии за донат полку Калиновского” [Woman sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment for donating to Kalinovsky regiment], Zerkalo.io, 16 June 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/41532.html.
- 23“Цифровые пытки как новая форма цифрового авторитаризма” [Digital torture as a new form of digital authoritarianism], Human Constanta, 14 June 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/cifrovye-pytki-kak-novaya-forma-cifrovogo-av….
- 24“Студентов Барановичского университета заставили смотреть интервью с Романом Протасевичем” [Baranovichi University students made to watch Raman Pratasevich interview], Nasha Niva, 25 May 2023, https://nashaniva.com/ru/317563.
- 25“Joint statement of Belarusian human rights organizations on the distribution of ‘repentant’ videos by the Faculty of Law of Belarusian State University” (joint statement of 12 CSOs), Right to Protection, 31 May 2023, https://defendersbelarus.org/tpost/tsvlafif71-joint-statement-of-belaru….
- 26“Почему Минск ставит в один ряд ЛГБТ+, педофилию и чайлдфри?” [Why Minsk equates LGBT+, pedophilia, and child-free?], DW, 1 September 2023, https://www.dw.com/ru/pocemu-v-belarusi-stavat-v-odin-rad-lgbt-pedofili…; Патрабуем прытрымлівацца міжнародных абавязкаў Беларусі ў сферы сэксуальных і рэпрадукцыйных правоў: сумесная заява праваабарончых арганізацый [Demanding to adhere to international obligations of Belarus in the field of sexual and reproductive rights: joint statement of human rights organizations], Human Constanta (joint statement of 8 CSOs), https://humanconstanta.org/patrabuem-prytrymlivacca-mizhnarodnyx-abavya….
- 27“Torture of LGBTQ+ people and the regime’s homophobic policies,” International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, Viasna, 2023, https://torturesbelarus2020.org/en/katavanni-lyudzej-lgbtk-i-gamafobnay….
- 28“Преследование адвокатов в Беларуси после выборов 2020 года” [Persecution of lawyers following the 2020 election], Right to Protection, updated 25 September 2023, https://defendersbelarus.org/lawyers-persecution-2020.
- 29“The cultural sector in Belarus in 2022 – 2023. Repressions. Trends,” PEN Belarus, 8 September 2023, https://penbelarus.org/en/2023/09/08/the-cultural-sector-in-belarus-in-…
- 30“Власти взялись и за фитнес-инструкторов: теперь вы не сможете заниматься с самоучкой — тем более, если у него есть судимость за протесты” [The authorities are now targeting fitness instructors: now one cannot have a self-taught instructor, especially if she has protest-related criminal record], Zerkalo.io, 10 August 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/45930.html.
- 31“The cultural sector in Belarus,” https://penbelarus.org/en/2023/09/08/the-cultural-sector-in-belarus-in-….
- 32“У Беларусі ў першым чытаньні прынялі новы закон «Аб свабодзе сумленьня», які дазоліць прасьцей ліквідаваць цэрквы і рэлігійныя грамады” [New law “On the Freedom of Conscience,” which will make it easier to liquidate churches and religious groups, adopted in the first reading in Belarus], Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 11 October 2023, https://www.svaboda.org/a/32632707.html.
- 33“[New law ‘On the Freedom of Conscience’],” https://www.svaboda.org/a/32632707.html.
- 34“Суд ликвидировал церковь «Новая жизнь». Ее здание разрушили еще летом” [“New Life” church liquidated by a court decision. Its building had already been demolished in summer], Belsat, 17 October 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/17-10-2023-sud-likvidiroval-tserkov-novaya-zh…. “Мінгарвыканкам падаў у суд іск аб ліквідацыі царквы "Новае жыццё"” [Minsk State Executive Committee open a liquidation case against “New life” church], Euroradio, 28 September 2023, https://euroradio.fm/mingarvykankam-padau-u-sud-isk-ab-likvidacyi-carkv…
- 35“«Хрысціянская візія»: настоятеля костела в Воложине задержали по уголовному делу об измене государству” [“Christian vision:” rector of a catholic church in Volozhin arrested on high treason charges], Zerkalo.io, 19 November 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/54281.html.
- 36“В Беларуси в 2023 году арестовали десять католических священников” [In Belarus ten Catholic priests were detained in 2023], Current Time, 14 January 2024, https://www.currenttime.tv/a/v-belarusi-v-2023-godu-arestovali-desyat-k….
- 37“В Беларуси обязательное распределение для платников введут уже в следующем году. А за свободный диплом придется платить больше” [In Belarus, mandatory placement for students who cover their own tuition fees, will be introduced next year. Placement-free diploma will also cost more], Zerkalo.io, 10 October 2023,https://news.zerkalo.io/life/51136.html.
- 38“ [In Belarus, mandatory placement],” https://news.zerkalo.io/life/51136.html.
- 39“Очень много манипуляций и лжи. Рассказываем, как власти «рекомендуют» учить историю в школах” [A lot of manipulation and lies. Telling how the authorities “recommend” to teach history at schools], Zerkalo.io, 17 September 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/48926.html; “У лагеры «Зубраня» для дзяцей арганізавалі гульню «Суд над экстрэмізмам»” [In “Zubranya” summer camp children were made to play an “anti-extremism” mock trial], Nasha Niva, 6 December 2023,https://nashaniva.com/331624.
Examines the current state of press freedom, including libel laws, harassment of journalists, and editorial independence; the operation of a financially viable and independent private press; and the functioning of the public media. | 1.001 7.007 |
- The government’s crackdown on independent media continued in Belarus throughout 2023.1 The authorities frequently use “anti-extremism” laws to curb media freedoms. Newspaper articles can be labeled “extremist materials,” while media outlets can be dubbed “extremist organizations” or “extremist formations.” The Belarusian Association of Journalists, a key defender of press freedom, was declared an “extremism formation” in March 2023.2 The organization was liquidated in 2021, but the “extremist” designation poses new risks. Any of the organization’s 1,300 members can now be held criminally liable for “aiding extremist activities” under Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code.3
- As of October, the security agencies declared 18 media outlets as “extremist formations” and one outlet— Tut.by—was designated an “extremist organization.” The former designation implies higher risks for anyone communicating with the representatives of an outlet.
- Journalists continued to face prosecution for their work in 2023. In March, a court sentenced Editor-in-Chief Maryna Zolatava and CEO Ludmila Chekina of Tut.by, the largest Belarusian media outlet, to 12 years in prison after they were convicted on charges ranging from tax evasion to harming national security.4 In June, authorities detained eight journalists from Ranak—a television channel in Svetlahorsk—for distributing “extremist” materials under Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.5 In September, Vyachaslau Lazarau, a freelance videographer from Vitebsk, and his wife Tatsiana Pytsko, who assisted him with video production, were sentenced to 5.5 and 3 years of imprisonment, respectively, on charges of “participating in an extremist formation.”6 In total, 34 members of the media remained behind bars at the end of the year.7
- Consumers of independent media also faced prosecution in 2023. Sharing “extremist” content online can be considered “distribution of extremist materials” under Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Since 2021, at least 2,540 individuals have faced legal consequences under this article.8 Merely following forbidden media outlets on social media can land subscribers in jail.9 For instance, authorities detained the chief veterinarian of the Miory region for three days for following Zerkalo (formerly Tut.by) on Instagram.10 Independent media outlets’ sources are also routinely prosecuted. Sending photographs or information to the media can be considered “aiding extremist activities” by the authorities, especially when the materials concern the movement of Russian military equipment on Belarusian territory.11
- The government has passed increasingly restrictive laws that further constrain independent media. In July, the Law on Mass Media was again amended to allow authorities to limit or block access to news sites where the founders or editors are involved in “extremist or terrorist activities” or included in “extremist” or “terrorist” lists.12
- 1“Physical threats, disinformation, censorship. Six modern challenges for the media,” Belarusian Association of Journalists”, 13 September 2023, https://baj.by/en/analytics/physical-threats-disinformation-censorship-….
- 2“Belarus: Belarusian Association of Journalists designated as “extremist formation,” the Observatory (OMCT-FIDH) and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), 15 March 2023, https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/belarus-belarusian-associa…; “Belarus Equates Rights Protection to Extremism: Authorities Label Belarusian Association of Journalists an “Extremist Formation,” Human Rights Watch, 10 March 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/10/belarus-equates-rights-protection-e….
- 3“Belarusian Association of Journalists,” https://www.omct.org/en/resources/statements/belarus-belarusian-associa….
- 4“Belarus Hands Two More Independent Journalists Heavy Prison Sentences In Ongoing Crackdown,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 17 March 2023, https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-sentences-two-journalists-chekina-zolat….
- 5“Хроніка перасьледу 12 чэрвеня: У Сьветлагорску затрымалі 8 супрацоўнікаў тэлеканалу «Ранак»” [Eight Belarusian Journalists Detained On Extremism Charge Amid Crackdown], Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 12 June 2023, https://www.svaboda.org/a/32455148.html.
- 6“Vyachaslau Lazarau has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison, while his wife, Tatsiana Pytsko, has received a three-year sentence,” Belarusian Association of Journalists, 25 September 2023, https://baj.media/en/content/vyachaslau-lazarau-has-been-sentenced-five….
- 7“Repressions against journalists in Belarus 2023, list of colleagues in prison,” Belarusian Association of Journalists, https://baj.media/en/repressions-against-journalists-in-belarus-2024-li….
- 8“How the authorities in Belarus persecute readers and journalists of “extremist" media,” Viasna, 20 August 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/112626.
- 9“Сотрудницу «Нафтана» арестовали на 15 суток за подписку на «экстремистские» каналы” [“Naftan” employee arrested for 15 days for subscribing to “extremist channels”], Nasha Niva, 25 August 2023, https://nashaniva.com/ru/324923; “Новополоцкого предпринимателя арестовали за «распространение экстремизма»” [Novopolotsk resident arrested for “spreading extremism”], Nasha Niva, 19 August 2023, https://nashaniva.com/ru/324474.
- 10“В Миорах арестовали главного ветеринара района” [Chief veterinarian arrested in Miory], Belsat, 29 November 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/29-11-2023-v-miorah-arestovali-glavnogo-veter….
- 11“У Брэсце абвешчаны прысуд Анастасіі Падгайскай, якую абвінавацілі ў садзейнічанні экстрэмісцкай дзейнасці” [Sentence to Anastasia Padgayaskaya, accused of aiding extremist activities, announced in Brest], Viasna, 11 April 2023, https://spring96.org/be/news/111386; “Сілавікі затрымалі жыхара Брэстчыны за ўдзел у пратэстах і перасылку фота ваеннай тэхнікі” [Law enforcement arrested Brest resident for taking part in the protests and taking pictures of military equipment], Viasna, 15 May 2023, https://t.me/viasna96/19100; “Два года колонии: 20-летний житель Гомельской области обвинен в содействии экстремистской деятельности” [Two years of imprisonment: 20-year old Gomel resident accused of aiding extremist activities], Belta, 3 April 2023, https://www.belta.by/regions/view/dva-goda-kolonii-20-letnij-zhitel-gom….
- 12“Официально опубликован новый закон о СМИ” [The new law on mass media officially published], 6 July 2023, Sputnik, https://sputnik.by/20230706/novyy-zakon-o-smi-nachinaet-deystvovat-v-be…; “Шесть видов запрещённых списков в Беларуси: как в них разобраться и какая ответственность” [Six “prohibited” lists in Belarus: how to navigate them and what are the consequences], 26 May 2023, https://humanconstanta.org/shest-vidov-zapreshhyonnyx-spiskov-v-belarus….
Considers the decentralization of power; the responsibilities, election, and capacity of local governmental bodies; and the transparency and accountability of local authorities. | 1.251 7.007 |
- With power concentrated in the executive branch, local authorities continued to enjoy little to no political independence. Lukashenka has power over local governance, from education1 to agriculture.2 Although they lack autonomy, the central government and Lukashenka use local functionaries as scapegoats to take the blame for economic or political problems in the regions.3 Lukashenka replaced the heads of three out of the country’s six regional centers (Hrodna, Brest, and Vitebsk) in 2023. Among his explanations for one of the removals, Lukashenka said superior executives4 who head the regional administrations requested it. Lukashenka made no reference to the opinions of local residents.
- In a May address to regional officials regarding personnel decisions, Lukashenka said local leaders should “pay special attention to working with people” since the presidential election were approaching (scheduled for 2025). He highlighted that no one of the appointees would have an easy life during this responsible period.5 Such rhetoric illustrates the demand for complete loyalty from local officials who risk repercussions for deviating from the federal government’s policies.
- At a September meeting with local officials to discuss the upcoming parliamentary elections, Lukashenka told them to support “patriotic candidates,” highlighting how local authorities are independent in name only and take direct orders from the president.6 In line with the policy of only allowing trusted and loyal candidates to run in local elections, in November, authorities arrested the head of a tech company who said he wanted to register as a candidate in Homiel, for following “extremist” pages on Facebook.7
- 1“Лукашенко требует от губернаторов не устраняться от вопросов образования” [Lukashenka demands the governors to not steer away from educational sphere], Belta, 21 September 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-trebuet-ot-gubernatorov-….
- 2“Лукашенко о том, как навести порядок на фермах: каждую закрепить за конкретным работником исполкома пофамильно” [Lukashenka on restoring order at the farms: every farm must be individually overseen by a selected member of executive committee], Belta, 22 September 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-o-tom-kak-navesti-porjad….
- 3“У Лукашенко назвали причину отставки председателя Брестского горисполкома Рогачука” [The reason for the resignation of the Chairman of the Brest City Executive Committee Rogachuk is announced at Lukashenko’s [meeting with subordinates]], Reform.by, 27 March 2023, https://reform.by/u-lukashenko-nazvali-prichinu-otstavki-predsedatelja-….
- 4“Мэра Гродно Мечислава Гоя отправили в отставку” [Hrodna’s mayor Mechislau Hor fired], MOST Media, 30 May 2023, https://mostmedia.io/2023/05/30/mer-grodno-mechislav-goj/.
- 5“Лукашенко предупредил местную вертикаль: никому легкой жизни не будет, нас ждут непростые времена” [Lukashenka warned the regional vertical: no one will have an easy life, difficult times are ahead of us], Belta, 30 May 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-predupredil-mestnuju-ver….
- 6“Лукашенко рассказал, каких людей власть поддержит на предстоящих выборах” [Lukashenka told which people the authorities will support in the upcoming elections], Belta, 25 September 2023, https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-rasskazal-kakih-ljudej-v….
- 7“Задержан руководитель ІТ-компании, который пытался выдвинуть свою кандидатуру на местные выборы [Head of IT company, who tried to register as a candidate in local elections, was arrested], Belsat, 30 November 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/30-11-2023-zaderzhan-rukovoditel-it-kompanii-….
Assesses constitutional and human rights protections, judicial independence, the status of ethnic minority rights, guarantees of equality before the law, treatment of suspects and prisoners, and compliance with judicial decisions. | 1.001 7.007 |
- The rule of law continued to erode in 2023. The judiciary has long functioned to serve the president, who has had the power to appoint and dismiss judges and prosecutors since 1996. The human rights crisis that has persisted since 2020 has revealed the extent of Lukashenka’s power over the judiciary and how institutions meant to protect citizens against injustice can be manipulated to perpetuate it.
- The authorities continue to find new ways to pressure independent lawyers and bar access to the profession. In 2023, the number of attorneys disbarred or otherwise barred from practicing reached 131, while 7 remained behind bars.1 While previous waves of repression mainly concerned licensed attorneys2 who were disbarred by the state, in 2023 the repressive practices spread to other law practitioners. New licensing rules that went into effect in January require all jurists and paralegals to pass an additional exam at the Ministry of Justice to practice. The exam’s questions are often so detailed and specific that the chance of failing increases exponentially. Most legal professionals reportedly failed the exam.3 The legal community suspects that the new rules, which the government adopted in one package that included new state-mandated ethical codes for legal practitioners,4 were intended to purge disloyal elements from the profession.5
- Two political prisoners died in jail in 2023—blogger Mikalai Klimovich6 and artist Ales Pushkin.7 According to the May OSCE Moscow Mechanism report, conditions in Belarusian prisons amount to “inhumane and degrading treatment.”8 Torturous prison conditions are accompanied by “information isolation,” in which the authorities intentionally conceal information about the prisoners.9 Incommunicado detentions are used against high-profile political prisoners, including prominent politicians and bloggers Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Viktar Babaryka, Maksim Znak, Maria Kalesnikava, and Ihar Losik,10 whereby the public is denied information about their health and well-being.
- Amendments to the Criminal Code that were implemented in March increased the number of crimes punishable by death. According to the amendments, state officials convicted of high treason could face the death penalty.11 Lukashenka said the amendments were intended to strengthen “measures against extremist (terrorist) and anti-state crimes.”12
- Belarusians are frequently denied the right to a fair trial. Politically important hearings are often conducted behind closed doors, defendants’ access to lawyers is limited, and police reports alone are often sufficient for judges to convict defendants.13 The regime increasingly conducted in absentia trials in 2023, with some exiled figures tried in absentia twice.14 Victims of torture are still denied justice.15
- The authorities continued to wage a silent war against the Belarusian diaspora.16 Exiled Belarusians are stripped of basic human rights and constitutional guarantees. In September, Lukashenka issued a decree that prohibited citizens from renewing their passports in Belarusian consulates abroad and limited other consular services,17 with dire consequences for exiled communities. When their passports expire, exiled Belarusians will have to return to Belarus to renew them and risk arrest,18 apply for short-term travel documents in their country of residence (where available), or become stranded with expired documents and no opportunity to move freely. Exiles cannot marry at the consulate, document children born abroad, exchange expired or fully stamped passports, sell their real estate, or receive documents confirming higher education19 without a power of attorney issued in Belarus.20 A new commission on the return of political émigrés was established in early 2023 to further intimidate and humiliate Belarusians in exile. The commission has forced citizens who want to return to Belarus to repent for their past political disloyalty.21
- 1“Преследование адвокатов в Беларуси после выборов 2020 года” [Persecution of lawyers following the 2020 election], Right to Defense, updated on 25 September 2023, https://defendersbelarus.org/lawyers-persecution-2020.
- 2Belarusian laws distinguish between lawyers/attorneys (implying those who passed the bar, hold a respective license, and can serve as a counsel in court) and jurists/paralegals (implying those who practice law but do not hold a license and can only represent individuals in civil cases based on the power of attorney).
- 3“Первые результаты экзамена на оказание юруслуг: из 133 его сдали 18” [First results of the exam for the provision of legal services: 18 out of 133 passed it], Right to Defense, updated on 1 June 2023. https://www.defendersbelarus.org/news/tpost/elceftdtg1-pervie-rezultati…
- 4“«Не совершать действия, дискредитирующие профессию». Минюст утвердил правила поведения для юристов” [“Do not engage in actions discrediting the profession.” Ministry of Justice introduced new rules of conduct for lawyers], Zerkalo.io, 21 December 2022, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/28876.html.
- 5“«Подтвердились все опасения». Юристы массово заваливают новый экзамен Минюста — что происходит?” [“All suspicions have been confirmed.” Jurists are failing the new Ministry of Justice exam en masse – what is going on?], Zerkalo.io, 26 August 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/47214.html.
- 6“Appeal to the UN Special Procedures regarding the death of Mikalai Klimovich,” Belarusian Helsinki Committee, 16 May 2023, https://belhelcom.org/en/news/appeal-un-special-procedures-regarding-de….
- 7“Ales Pushkin, Dissident Artist in Belarus, Is Dead in Prison at 57”, The New York Times, 25 July 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/world/europe/ales-pushkin-dead.html; “Joint Statement from Belarus human rights defenders’ community on the death in prison of artist Aleś Puškin”, PEN Belarus, 12 July 2023, https://penbelarus.org/en/2023/07/12/supolnaya-zayava-pravaabaronchaj-s…
- 8“Report on the serious threat to the OSCE human dimension in Belarus since 5 November 2020”, OSCE fact-finding mission on Belarus (2023) under paragraph 12 of the Moscow Mechanism Document, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, 11 May 2023, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/5/543240.pdf, para. 157
- 9Pavel Slunkin, Artyom Shraibman, Philipp Bikanau, Henadz Korshunau, Lev Lvovskiy , “Belarus Change Tracker: March-May 2023”, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, May 2023, https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/belarus/20406.pdf, p. 29; “Imprisoned ex-candidate for presidency Viktar Babaryka moved to hospital”, Viasna, 28 April 2023, https://spring96.org/en/news/111555.
- 10Joint statement of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment on the cases of Messrs Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Viktar Babaryka, and Maksim Znak, UA BLR 4/2023, 25 May 2023, https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicati…; “Belarus: More Action Needed on Accountability for Grave Crimes: HRW oral statement - ID with the Special Rapporteur on Belarus - HRC53,” Human Rights Watch, 5 July 2023, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/05/belarus-more-action-needed-accounta…; “The Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers Calls to Halt the Practice of Denying Attorneys Access to Their Clients in Places of Custody,” 30 May 2023, https://www.defendersbelarus.org/tpost/yxjo8hp0e1-the-belarusian-associ….
- 11“В Беларуси вступают в силу поправки о смертной казни” [Death penalty amendments entered into force in Belarus], DW, 14 March 2023, https://www.dw.com/ru/v-belarusi-vstupaut-v-silu-popravki-o-smertnoj-ka….
- 12“[Death penalty amendments entered into force in Belarus],” https://www.dw.com/ru/v-belarusi-vstupaut-v-silu-popravki-o-smertnoj-ka….
- 13“Report on the serious threat,” paras. 159-181, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/5/543240.pdf.
- 14“«Следователю будет не до меня». Вадима Прокопьева будут снова судить заочно — ранее он получил 25 лет колонии” [“The investigator has other things to do.” Vadim Prokopyev will be tried in absentia again – earlier, he was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment], Zerkalo.io, 2 October 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/50408.html.
- 15“«Бряцали затворами, угрожали расстрелять». Комитет по расследованию пыток представил доклад об ужасах в Советском РУВД Минска” [“They were rattling the bolts and threatening to shoot me.” The International Committee for Investigation of Torture in Belarus presented a report on terrors in the police station of Sovetskiy region of Minsk], 20 June 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/20-06-2023-bryatsali-zatvorami-ugrozhali-rass…; “Report on the serious threat,” para. 175, https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/5/543240.pdf.
- 16Pavel Slunkin et al, “Belarus Change Tracker: December 2022 - February 2023,” p. 28, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, February 2023, https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/belarus/20148-20230322.pdf.
- 17“Belarus: Presidential decree denying consular services puts Belarusians abroad at risk,” Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 20 September 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/09/belarus-presidential-de….
- 18“Начали задерживать белорусов, вернувшихся из-за границы за новым паспортом” [Belarusian coming to Belarus to exchange a passport was detained], Euroradio, 27 September 2023, https://euroradio.fm/ru/nachali-zaderzhivat-belorusov-vernuvshikhsya-iz….
- 19“Приезжайте за документами сами. «Консульский» указ Лукашенко начал действовать в учебных заведениях” [“Come get the documents in person.” Lukashenka’s “consular” edict applied in educational institutions], Zerkalo.io, 29 September 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/50132.html.
- 20“Analysis of violations by the Republic of Belarus of international human rights obligations and constitutional guarantees in respect of its citizens due to the adoption of Decree No. 278 ‘On the procedure for issuing documents and performing actions,’” Belarusian Helsinki Committee, 21 September 2023, https://belhelcom.org/en/news/analysis-violations-republic-belarus-inte….
- 21“Комиссия по возвращению уехавших белорусов провела очередное заседание. Что решили” [Return Commission conducted another meeting. What has been decided?], Zerkalo,io, 31 October 2023,https://news.zerkalo.io/life/52883.html?c.
Looks at public perceptions of corruption, the business interests of top policymakers, laws on financial disclosure and conflict of interest, and the efficacy of anticorruption initiatives. | 1.251 7.007 |
- Authorities continued to limit public access to government data in 2023. In March, the National Statistical Committee (Belstat) further reduced transparency by issuing an order allowing the agency to conceal data from the population if it could harm national security, public order, or morals.1 While the agency already concealed information about foreign trade and the salaries of state officials, the order made the median salaries of tech specialists2 and the number of tech specialists who left the sector unavailable to the public. 3 .
- Other state agencies also withhold data. The National Bank no longer displays the names of heads of state and commercial banks on its website, while the Ministry of Labor concealed data on Belarusians’ income and unemployment benefits.4
- The government increasingly prosecuted individuals who donated to Belarusian solidarity foundations, such as BYSOL, in 2023. The authorities frequently demand payment from people who they threaten with prosecution for financing “extremist” or “terrorist” activities (crimes that carry lengthy prison terms) without presenting an actual criminal charge.5 The practice has become more brazen in recent years. In 2022, the standard payment people made to avoid prosecution was ten times the amount they had donated to the solidarity funds.6 In July, the State Security Committee (KGB) admitted that payments could range from ten times to a hundred times the original donation. 7
- To bolster his long-standing reputation as a corruption fighter,8 Lukashenka began anticorruption crusades in the dairy and meat industry in November.9 Multiple businessmen and employees of state-owned companies were detained on bribery charges. The KGB reported detaining 26 people, 15 of whom were arrested on official charges.10 The regime’s approach to combating corruption remains selective. While some crimes are made public and prosecuted, other corruption practices flourish and officials convicted of corruption are allowed to take office again.11
Authors: Tatsiana Ziniakova is a legal analyst and human rights defender with Human Constanta. Artyom Shraibman is a political analyst and head of Sense Analytics consultancy, and a nonresident scholar with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- 1“«Может причинить вред национальной безопасности». Белстат официально не будет раскрывать некоторые данные” [“It may cause harm to national security.” Belstat will not be publishing some data], Zerkalo.io, 5 April 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/36170.html.
- 2“Белстат засекретил еще одни данные по айтишникам. Что теперь не положено знать белорусам” [Belstat classified more data on tech specialists. What Belarusians are not supposed to know], Zerkalo.io, 18 July 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/44065.html.
- 3“Отток айтишников засекретили. Но СМИ все равно попытались подсчитать зимние потери” [Brain drain in tech sector classified. Media tried to calculate winter losses in the industry regardless], Zerkalo.io, 4 April 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/36127.html.
- 4“Чиновники «спрятали» очередные данные. На этот раз они касаются банков” [State officials “concealed” more data. This time, the data concerns the banks], Zerkalo.io, 20 February 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/33026.html.
- 5“«Раньше мы считали сумму в десятикратном размере, а сейчас — до стократного». КГБ потребовал у белоруса 20 000 долларов за донат в 400” [“We used to calculate the sum tenfold, but it is hundredfold now.” KGB demands Belarusian to pay 20,000 USD for making 200 USD donation], Zerkalo.io, 6 July 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/43114.html; “В Гомеле девушку приговорили к 3 годам колонии за донат полку Калиновского” [Woman sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment for donating to Kalinovsky regiment], Zerkalo.io, 16 June 2023, https://news.zerkalo.io/life/41532.html.
- 6“[KGB demands Belarusian to pay 20,000 USD], https://news.zerkalo.io/life/43114.html; “[Woman sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment],” https://news.zerkalo.io/life/41532.html.
- 7“[KGB demands Belarusian to pay 20,000 USD], https://news.zerkalo.io/life/43114.html; “[Woman sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment],” https://news.zerkalo.io/life/41532.html.
- 8“"Власть важнее денег". Лукашенко опять борется с коррупцией” ["Power is more important than money.” Lukashenka is fighting corruption again], DW, 30 November 2023, https://www.dw.com/ru/vlast-vaznee-deneg-lukasenko-opat-boretsa-s-korru….
- 9“От молока до мяса. Что известно о громких коррупционных делах?” [From milk to meat. What is known about big anti-corruption cases?], Belsat, 30 November 2023, https://belsat.eu/ru/news/30-11-2023-ot-moloka-do-myasa-chto-izvestno-o….
- 10“[From milk to meat],” https://belsat.eu/ru/news/30-11-2023-ot-moloka-do-myasa-chto-izvestno-o….
- 11“Из тюрьмы - в начальники: Лукашенко прощает коррупционеров,” [From prisoners to bosses. Lukashenka forgives corrupt officials] DW, 22 August 2023, https://www.dw.com/ru/iz-turmy-po-udo-v-nacalniki-kak-lukasenko-prosaet….
![](/https/freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/flags/BLR.png?itok=SOXfdvC_)
![](/https/freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/country-outlines/BLR.png?itok=VAncbLP5)
Country Facts
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Population
9,228,000 -
Global Freedom Score
8 100 not free -
Internet Freedom Score
25 100 not free