>Three other members of the opposition coordination council have also vanished, in what appears to be a targeted attempt by the authorities to wipe out the protest movement.
..
>Kolesnikova’s press aide, Rodnenkov, confirmed her abduction but vanished himself around 40 minutes later
..
>Her coordination council colleagues who have disappeared include Anton Rodnenkov, Ivan Kravtsov and Maxim Bogretsov. Her press team is also missing.
Twenty years ago, some leading Belarusian opposition politicians disappeared without a trace. In an exclusive interview with DW, a key witness tells how he assisted a special unit in committing abduction and murder. [0]
Classified By: AMBASSADOR GEORGE KROL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D)
1. (C) Summary: During the first two weeks of May, GOB
authorities announced that investigations into the 1999-2000
disappearances of two opposition activists and the 2004
murder of a journalist were suspended. Independent
investigator Garry Pogonayilo believes the lack of progress
is due to the authorities' own participation in the crimes.
Therefore, as long as the Lukashenko regime is in power, the
cases will never be "solved." Pogonayilo and international
lawyers are building a case against the GOB leadership and
hope to get international warrants of arrest for GOB
officials suspected in these crimes. End Summary.
I cannot believe they do not feel like they digging their own grave. The "standing" government that is and the security forces. I mean how do they expect to find any job that's not cleaning bathrooms in Russia after this.
IMHO it is not fair to compare Syria with Belarus as Syria is multi-religion country with Syrian dictator representing ruling minority (Alawites), Belarus meanwhile is monolithic country in whatever way you will look at it (religious, ethnic and etc.).
A part of not assassinating Assad is that he was fighting the extremists (aka ISIS), so to that aspect there was a common ground between Syrian gov, Russia, USA & allies.
Yes he is a bad dude (replace with profanity). Democracy is a rumor over there, a fantasy.
ISIS was not a significant player at the beginning of the events in Syria. And Assad helped ISIS by freeing men [1], then not really targeting it during the first part of the war. ISIS (and other extremist) were fighting against other Assad's enemies, and it help portraying all opposition as dangerous extremists
A lot of the opposition is practically indistinguishable from ISIS, namely extremist religious (Wahhabism) terrorists. Eg El Nusra front ..The Syrian government is tolerant of other religions, far preferable.
I was just pointing that saying "A part of not assassinating Assad is that he was fighting the extremists (aka ISIS)" is not true, as ISIS was a minor player at the beginning, and as Assad and ISIS shared some interests during the first half of the war, and somehow helped each other. It is not a judgement, it is a fact.
For the people in Lukashenko closest circle it's really a «death fight». For the police forces - in most cases they are really simpleminded and brainwashed with propaganda. They also have a lot of perks like free homes and good salaries.
(i'm from belarus)
Favorite quote: "My mother? She's around the corner, making Molotov cocktails". Said by a 13-year-old boy on the street to interviewer, when asked if his mother was worried about him. Filmed with dead body of fellow protester in background.
It's a common mistake comparing Ukraine situation with Belarus. In Belarus we don't fight between pro-EU or pro-Russia. We have deep connections with Russia. Everyone speaks russian language.
Our fight is about basic human rights. It's about nation-wide abuse. Everyone in Belarus feel like they being raped and tortured and now the rapist is saying to us - "hey it's your fault that you was raped". A 16-years old boy who was tortured by the police(and it's not a figure of speech https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/how-to-save-timur/) and who was in coma — arrested again.
If your question about the violence from the people - i don't believe it will happen, because this is exactly what Lukashenko wants. He sold us to Russia. We have so-called Union state with Russia where Putin have legal right to move here his troops if people will turn peaceful protests to the so-called Maidan.
Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity has happened and prevailed not because there was a pro-EU protest, but because there was a blatant power abuse against innocent people.
"Deep connections" is an irrelevant argument, and Ukraine also had such connections.
I was talking to a Russian friend about this. Just like in Russia, the gov (in every layer) is so corrupted, and with zero loyalty, and the dictators (Putin, Lukashenko, et al) fear that of they are ousted they will be shot on sight (think Romania-Tsaushesku, Iraq-Saddam). So they are doing their 'best' to stay in power because the moment they fall, it's their death.
Will they though? US would normally provide support for them which would help a lot, but current WH won't do anything that goes against Russian interests.
The U.S. didn’t respond with military force but you may recall the sanctions which were apparently motivational in Putin’s decision to become more involved in steering the next U.S. election to Trump.
The main advantage now is that nobody is kidding themselves about the level of possible outcomes but this time it’s largely the EU having to take the lead with an unusually passive US government.
Russia took Crimea in response of having "lost" Ukraine following a pro-west colored revolution, that had probably helped by foreign interests (USA is probably part of the equation)... Crimea was quite already Russian anyways... Following what happened, USA and the west put economic sanctions against Russia
> in response of having "lost" Ukraine following a pro-west colored revolution, that had probably helped by foreign interests
By that line of logic, the U.S. "lost" Western Europe at the end of World War II, Mongolia lost Russia after Genghis Khan died and Belarus should return to the dominions of Kiev [1] and Warsaw [2].
It isn't until almost the 19th century, under Catherine the Great, that what is today Belarus fell under Moscow's control [3].
Sorry I have not been precise. Ukraine was not part of Russia, but under Russian influence. And Ukraine in very important for Russia (ans Belarus share this same characteristics) as this gives access to Russia's core, without natural barriers...
Frankly, this whole "gives access to Russia's core, without natural barriers" is ridiculous. I'm not saying that having the geopoliticsl wheels turn is not possible, but Russia has absolutely no expansionist neighbors and I seriously doubt there had been anyone in the last, oh, 30 years, that wanted to invade Russia. Overall, the current pose of Russia is of its own doing.
30 years in geopolitics and in history is nothing...
And I guess many Russian would feel the West, NATO, USA had been expansionist, as they "aggressively" expand their area of influence (colored revolution being one tactic) in Russia backyard, at the expense of Russia and Russian influence...
That's strange way to put it, when the European countries typically fight to join NATO.
In that region no one trusts Russia, and they want to be part of NATO to increase their chances of not being invaded. In fact Ukraine was on track to join it, exactly because they were afraid of Russia.
Well, it make total sense that for example Poland wanted to join NATO. Still, this move was certainly seen as a expansionist and threatening move by the Russian. And the fact the West seems to had informally committed to not enlarge NATO to the East [1] [2] makes the offense worse. And then Poland was not just a lambda NATO country, but a country where USA and NATO actively put a lot of resources that seem threatening in a Russian point of view.
If you add to that the "colored revolutions", well, it is clear that the West "actively" "attacked" Russia's zone of influence. Not saying it is good or bad, just trying to describe what happened.
What's the point of parroting Lavrov here? Are we supposed to empathize with Putin? Poor Putin lost his buffer? NATO and Soros are bullying poor little Russia?
You seem to be sure that Lukashenko will fall, but didn't he suppress multiple protests during the last 10-20 years with violence and still he is in power..
Technology also amplifies the power of dictatorships, so smaller groups will be able to fend off popular uprisings now than they could a few years ago.
The thing about autocracies is that they look incredibly stable until the crack appears in the right place, and then everything suddenly falls apart all at once. When Bouazizi set himself on fire, it merited a small sidebar with a sad note that nothing was likely to come of it... and the Tunisian dictator fled the country within 3 weeks. Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu probably sets the record for speed, going from unassailable to captured and on trial in just 3 days.
How many times has that happened in the past? The Soviet Union was a Chekist prison at it's core and it's basically back to the good old days now in terms of its leadership and security services - they usually just dissolve back into society.
Can't say I'm surprised. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya ran for president after her husband was arrested for running for president, and she's in exile for good reason. This seems to be standing operating procedure for Lukashenko...or any dictator, really.
And the reason is, that Belarus secret services abducted her on the day of the election, and brought her to the border with Lithuania the next morning.
The foreign minister of Lithuania later confirmed, that her arrival to Lithuania was coordinated with Belarus, not with her. She wouldn't say anything about what happened.
It was the smartest move for Lukashenka: he could neither arrest her, nor let her stay in Belarus, if he wanted to try to avoid the protests. The best option was to make it look like she just ran away, leaving everyone who voted for her to fight for themselves.
I wouldn't be surprised, if the same happens with other Belarus opposition leaders during the next 72 hours.
29-year-old Konstantin Shishmakov (Belarussian: Kanstantsin Shyshmakou), director of the Bagration Military History Museum in Vawkavysk, disappeared on 15 August. As a member of the election commission, he refused to sign the protocols, called his wife at about 5 pm and said: "I will not work here anymore, I am going home." But he never came home. Later he was found dead in a river. This was announced by the search and rescue squad "Angel".
Disgusting. I hope someone saves the archives and lists of members of security forces, so they can get what they deserve.
no hope. What you'd want to punish them for, in some specific places are considered as the skills in high demand. At the end they will run, say for example, to Russia, like this one for example from the Ukraine security forces:
" the former Berkut riot-police commander in connection with the lethal suppression of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests. Yet in Moscow, Kusyuk is now a colonel in the Russian Interior Ministry's OMON force and was seen on August 3 overseeing the arrests of demonstrators calling for fair municipal elections in the capital."
Telegram channels like https://t.me/terroristybelarusi collect personal information of state officials involved in atrocities. Makes for interesting reading, especially when you see photos of pretty-looking girls that tortured dozens of men and beat women out of consciousness.
Check this one [1], the first 4 photos are of the most famous torturer.
If Belarus didn't sign or ratify it then what's the relevence? Not saying the situation isn't dire anyway but it seems like when the EU gets mad at the US for not acknowledging their toy court.
Belarus’s human rights abuses and crimes against humanity (as defined by the ICC) are highly relevant no matter whether its government signed the statute or not, or whether its government trolls consider it a “toy court”.
Yes, it's hard to explain, but he maintains an image of a very industrious and agriculture-oriented leader, and on many promotional videos and photos was seen as participating in harvesting potatoes - https://www.google.com/search?q=lukashenko+potatoes&tbm=isch...
Wow, that is quite brazen. He wouldn't do that unless he is very confident about the fallout from it. Putin is obviously strongly behind him and he also feels that no one else, primarily the US, will do anything about it. Germany and Europe in general might say something but not sure if that will have the same weight as the US.
It seems to fit a pattern for this administration. By all accounts I've read this is the way Trump views politics, so his silence is not out of character.
He seems to think he is the one who can "solve" Russia, but he is being played like a fiddle.
I'm getting a little sick in the mouth of the "I'm alright jack" political commentary often seen on hackernews, are you saying it's better to do nothing or should Obama have invaded the Middle East again?
I don’t get it, trump enables and worships Putin. Isn’t that a problem? The previous administrations of both parties, would have put sanctions and hurt them a little. Atleast they didn’t enable and worship the guy. This is what gives Putin strength and also weakens Europe's resolve at anything strict. Even if the US does nothing, previously it was known that it will always stand on the right side of the issue until now.
The US has kept up many sanctions on Russia and has added several more during the Trump administration. While there is room for debate as to the type or severity of any given sanction, it is undeniable the US is aggressively using economic sanctions to signal its displeasure with Russia meddling.
FYI: "U.S. Sanctions on Russia: An Overview" [PDF]
"The EU is Belarus' second main trade partner, representing 18.1% of the country's overall trade in goods, reaching almost €11 billion in 2019...increasing by 45% over the last 10 years" [1].
In addition, the U.S. and EU have massive trade relations with Russia. There are many non-military mechanisms for deterring Putin. What's unclear is whether the Belarusians are worth the cost.
If Putin makes it clear that doing anything except imposing mild sanctions against Belarus equals to attacking Russia, then nobody will raise a finger. China doesn't care, the EU has too much economic interest in maintaining good relationships with Russia, and Trump won't do anything either, because if he does, then Putin begins to talk.
This sort of thing seems to be happening more and more. More often to protestors who don't have as much protection and attention. What, if any, technologies exist to safe guard against this sort of thing? Are there tracking devices, or apps that people in high profiles currently use to protect themselves? Do political opponents of dictators wear body cams at all times?
By the time you need to rely on technology for personal safety, it’s probably already too late.
What would a body cam show, even if it were live streaming to foreign server? The masked face of a thug sent by the government to pick you up and smash your gear?
I fear such malign force can only be overcome by opposing force - either a foreign intervention or an overwhelming popular revolution that is willing to put its people severely in harms way.
Here is the video filmed by a hidden camera on the jacket of someone being arrested [1] and transported to a prison. So what? There is no rule of law in Belarus, only the rule of force. Who would this guy show his footage? Police? But police forces arrested and beat him.
The things being done to these people in detention are horrible. We just translated an article about a 16-year-old boy beaten into a coma. When he awoke he said he was one of the lucky ones. ( https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/how-to-save-timur/ )
From consistently talking to multiple opposition members, here is my take on the current mindset:
Every single protester on the street is aware that the police are waiting for them to do anything that gives an excuse. Foreigners don't always understand the dictatorships use a two-pronged approach, one part being heavy-handed violence and the other being heavy-handed propaganda. Like it or not, there's always a percentage of the population that buys into the propaganda, either by being stupid or by being centrist.
The protesters are very intentionally being careful to not give any excuse. That's why you see 70-year-old grandmothers walking in the streets wearing pure white, they want the evidence to be obvious when the police shove down and beat grandmother's bloody. They also want it to be impossible for the state to spin them as violent criminals
In short, these people are brave as f*
Many do suspect this will end in all out violence, but everyone knows that would give Russia an internationally acceptable excuse to join the party. The current thinking is Lukashenko may make a mistake (it is widely reported internally that he is on heavy medication and typically takes an entire month away from office following the election period, which has been impossible with the constant mass protests). His family has begun to leave the country, excluding his young son who he takes with him everywhere.
The people are being careful to say, at least for the time being, they do not want him dead, they only do not want him in the country. They're trying to give him every opportunity to flee and leave them to repair their own country
If you want to help, the biggest thing you can do is continue to give them international recognition. Share it on social platforms. After the first wave of violence, the international outcry caused Lukashenko to order the police to temporarily stop the beatings. The protests have continues to grow, and the violence has started again (as we all know, dictators have a really small playbook of possible control tactics). International outrage is more effective than you might realize.
EDIT: For those unaware, IT has grown significantly in Belarus. It's debated why this is the case (e.g. perhaps the dictatorship just does not know how to extract value from a company where seizing assets just leaves you with an empty shell of a previously valuable company), but regardless multiple Belarusians are entering the world stage with a reputation for being competent/capable/innovative with technology. It's been a interesting emergence of a new skilled class. Right now, Lukashenko is squishing that with his actions. Shutting of the internet is one example. Another example is retaliation, such as what is being done to PandaDoc (a Silicon Valley-based company). Their founders are Belarusian. After a statement by the founders, the state retaliated by raiding their Minsk offices and arresting employees. For more info, see https://savepandadoc.org/en/
Thanks. Mind sharing where you are browsing from and what you get when you try to hit the link (DNS failure, site not responding, etc)? I can forward an issue report on to the maintainers
I'm using Firefox with strict uMatrix settings from a private VPN/proxy (everything goes through a server with a dedicated IP address that only I access via SOCKS5). I see only a blank page that tries to set some cookies, although allowing cookies still results in a blank page. It works via kproxy. I sometimes see trouble with small sites that set strict Cloudflare or Google settings, so even though the site doesn't seem to be using either of those I'd guess it may be an IP block ban possibly following an actual attack from a nearby IP address.
Hi, VoB team member here, sorry for the inconvenience. These blank pages were caused by a caching issue that affected a small percentage of users. Now it should be fixed; please let me know if you notice any more
Not everything has to be linked with the US politics. US has strong democratic institutions. Regardless of your opinion on Trump, he is not a dictator like Lukashenko.
It’s really just anything hackers would find interesting. Generally it spans tech and startups but also occasionally branches out to other sciences, art, politics and other subjects.
For many people, myself included, this is a primary source for my news. Having the biggest bits of what is happening in the world is helpful. If people find it interesting enough to vote this up... I'm okay with that.
Are things all that different today in the US? Who knows what November will bring. It also helps underscore technology's role in disseminating information and helping people stand against oppression. Look at all the turmoil around disinformation from Facebook et. al. from the previous election. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
I help to run a software company, and many if not most of my developers are in Belarus. They are just like you, but cannot leave because they have families there. They would like a Democracy as much as anybody in the West.
A stark reminder that democracy is neither inevitable nor guaranteed. A truth which desperately needs thoughtful consideration by US voters heading into November.
What worries me more (in the US) is the number of voters on the right who either don't care or actively support the increasingly blatant fascism of the current regime. Even if Trump loses in November, those people won't just go away. We're going to be fighting fascism at home for a very long time.
Interesting to find this in HN. Of course I hope for the best outcome, but I don't think it's achievable.
The way I see it there is no real opposition leaders, because they are in jail. This women triumvirate, whom were not leaders themselves was probably surprised themselves amount of support they got.
There seemingly is no plan by the opposition, other than hope that the regime turns on the Lukashenko. When that happens and there is no organized opposition, the regime just grows a new head. Which I guess would be a some sort of success.
Democracy (and the values it embodies like freedom of speech and assembly) is an agreement among the elite. If there is no agreement among the elite then democratic values has little chance surviving.
Lukashenka and his clique have been consistently eliminating all public figures for 26 years straight. The fact the public is able to organize without real leaders is a true success and the only viable way for them to succeed.
Yesterday, bandits from local militia arrested all the members of the water rescue crew that helped protesters out of the water where they jumped to escape.
The same day the head of the criminal police was photographed shattering the windows of a café where some of the protesters receded.
Yesterday again, a second heavily beaten dead body was found in the woods in what looks like a militia victim.
Merciless criminals took over all police and security forces and they act with total impunity.
How can there be "real opposition leaders" in in a scenario where they are beaten, imprisoned or exiled soon after becoming public figures?
I was not meant to be demeaning, I have been following the situation very closely and know about each of the events you listed. I want them to succeed!
I do think that it's a success they can even demonstrate, the regime is so brutal.
However when I look at further ahead, it feels bleak to me. 1990s criminals and their entourage have became the heads of state, how can you unseat them with leaderless opposition?
Lukashenka is 66, his main killer Pavlichenko is 50. Sheiman, another guy with blood on his hands, is even older. Their kids are grown ups but they have been kept away from state affairs.
Yes the few will wear out, I even believe the regime will replace Lukashenko. But my point is that these regimes are wider than they seem. As one man put it in twitter about Russia: KGB and 90s Mafia merged, and it became the state of Russia.
I think there is similar situation in Belarus, the criminals are in charge at all levels of state and each city. Sweeping it away without organized opposition requires a miracle.
" According to Ernst & Young survey, more than 30% of the Fortune Global 200 companies have worked with HTP residents. The most trending customers are Facebook, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, PepsiCo, Whirlpool, 3M, Amazon.com, Cisco Systems, HP, Oracle, Xerox, Disney, Intel, Apple and IBM, which have worked with several companies from Belarus."
What happens in Belarus is absolutely disgusting. Something you would expect from a mexican narco cartel not a european country. What’s even more disgusting is lack of any tangible help from the US/EU. No sanctions for Lukashenko they said.
122 comments
[ 16.3 ms ] story [ 2694 ms ] thread..
>Kolesnikova’s press aide, Rodnenkov, confirmed her abduction but vanished himself around 40 minutes later
..
>Her coordination council colleagues who have disappeared include Anton Rodnenkov, Ivan Kravtsov and Maxim Bogretsov. Her press team is also missing.
Twenty years ago, some leading Belarusian opposition politicians disappeared without a trace. In an exclusive interview with DW, a key witness tells how he assisted a special unit in committing abduction and murder. [0]
And headlines from 20 years ago [2][3]
[0] https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-how-death-squads-targeted-oppo... [1] https://www.dw.com/en/alleged-killer-of-belarus-politician-m...
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jul/20/ameliagentlema... [3] https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/04/world/belarus-sees-its-di...
Or this:
Classified By: AMBASSADOR GEORGE KROL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) 1. (C) Summary: During the first two weeks of May, GOB authorities announced that investigations into the 1999-2000 disappearances of two opposition activists and the 2004 murder of a journalist were suspended. Independent investigator Garry Pogonayilo believes the lack of progress is due to the authorities' own participation in the crimes. Therefore, as long as the Lukashenko regime is in power, the cases will never be "solved." Pogonayilo and international lawyers are building a case against the GOB leadership and hope to get international warrants of arrest for GOB officials suspected in these crimes. End Summary.
[4] https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06MINSK559_a.html
Yes he is a bad dude (replace with profanity). Democracy is a rumor over there, a fantasy.
edit : [1] https://www.newsweek.com/how-syrias-assad-helped-forge-isis-...
I was just pointing that saying "A part of not assassinating Assad is that he was fighting the extremists (aka ISIS)" is not true, as ISIS was a minor player at the beginning, and as Assad and ISIS shared some interests during the first half of the war, and somehow helped each other. It is not a judgement, it is a fact.
But the vast majority of the population is not religious, so while this matters a bit culturally, it has no impact on current events.
Ethnically, it is rather monolithic, indeed.
And there are no big geographic differences.
Here's most of what I know about the Maidan revolution:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RibAQHeDia8
Favorite quote: "My mother? She's around the corner, making Molotov cocktails". Said by a 13-year-old boy on the street to interviewer, when asked if his mother was worried about him. Filmed with dead body of fellow protester in background.
Our fight is about basic human rights. It's about nation-wide abuse. Everyone in Belarus feel like they being raped and tortured and now the rapist is saying to us - "hey it's your fault that you was raped". A 16-years old boy who was tortured by the police(and it's not a figure of speech https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/how-to-save-timur/) and who was in coma — arrested again.
If your question about the violence from the people - i don't believe it will happen, because this is exactly what Lukashenko wants. He sold us to Russia. We have so-called Union state with Russia where Putin have legal right to move here his troops if people will turn peaceful protests to the so-called Maidan.
Without Russia, Belarus would be free already.
"Deep connections" is an irrelevant argument, and Ukraine also had such connections.
The main advantage now is that nobody is kidding themselves about the level of possible outcomes but this time it’s largely the EU having to take the lead with an unusually passive US government.
By that line of logic, the U.S. "lost" Western Europe at the end of World War II, Mongolia lost Russia after Genghis Khan died and Belarus should return to the dominions of Kiev [1] and Warsaw [2].
It isn't until almost the 19th century, under Catherine the Great, that what is today Belarus fell under Moscow's control [3].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish–Lithuanian_Commonwealth
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Partition_of_Poland
And I guess many Russian would feel the West, NATO, USA had been expansionist, as they "aggressively" expand their area of influence (colored revolution being one tactic) in Russia backyard, at the expense of Russia and Russian influence...
In that region no one trusts Russia, and they want to be part of NATO to increase their chances of not being invaded. In fact Ukraine was on track to join it, exactly because they were afraid of Russia.
If you add to that the "colored revolutions", well, it is clear that the West "actively" "attacked" Russia's zone of influence. Not saying it is good or bad, just trying to describe what happened.
[1] https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-shifrinson-russi... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlargement_of_NATO#German_reu...
Source?
And the reason is, that Belarus secret services abducted her on the day of the election, and brought her to the border with Lithuania the next morning.
The foreign minister of Lithuania later confirmed, that her arrival to Lithuania was coordinated with Belarus, not with her. She wouldn't say anything about what happened.
It was the smartest move for Lukashenka: he could neither arrest her, nor let her stay in Belarus, if he wanted to try to avoid the protests. The best option was to make it look like she just ran away, leaving everyone who voted for her to fight for themselves.
I wouldn't be surprised, if the same happens with other Belarus opposition leaders during the next 72 hours.
Is Svyaz some business or government agency?
Disgusting. I hope someone saves the archives and lists of members of security forces, so they can get what they deserve.
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-berkut-commander-gets-second...
" the former Berkut riot-police commander in connection with the lethal suppression of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests. Yet in Moscow, Kusyuk is now a colonel in the Russian Interior Ministry's OMON force and was seen on August 3 overseeing the arrests of demonstrators calling for fair municipal elections in the capital."
Check this one [1], the first 4 photos are of the most famous torturer.
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%...
The idea is that whenever the crime happens, it can be tried in the country. Even US had a couple of cases where Universal jurisdiction was applied.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_jurisdiction
It seems to fit a pattern for this administration. By all accounts I've read this is the way Trump views politics, so his silence is not out of character.
He seems to think he is the one who can "solve" Russia, but he is being played like a fiddle.
I'm getting a little sick in the mouth of the "I'm alright jack" political commentary often seen on hackernews, are you saying it's better to do nothing or should Obama have invaded the Middle East again?
This administration seems to be working towards a diplomatic solution.
They have demonstrated some success with this technique in the past.
https://www.politico.eu/article/us-stands-with-eu-to-push-fo...
edit: removed spurious 'to'
FYI: "U.S. Sanctions on Russia: An Overview" [PDF]
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IF10779.pdf
Except of course Putin might invade when the time is right, and no one would do anything about it either. That's his sphere of influence.
"The EU is Belarus' second main trade partner, representing 18.1% of the country's overall trade in goods, reaching almost €11 billion in 2019...increasing by 45% over the last 10 years" [1].
In addition, the U.S. and EU have massive trade relations with Russia. There are many non-military mechanisms for deterring Putin. What's unclear is whether the Belarusians are worth the cost.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/coun...
What would a body cam show, even if it were live streaming to foreign server? The masked face of a thug sent by the government to pick you up and smash your gear?
I fear such malign force can only be overcome by opposing force - either a foreign intervention or an overwhelming popular revolution that is willing to put its people severely in harms way.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5oALVCAFTE
Weapon.
The things being done to these people in detention are horrible. We just translated an article about a 16-year-old boy beaten into a coma. When he awoke he said he was one of the lucky ones. ( https://www.voiceofbelarus.com/how-to-save-timur/ )
From consistently talking to multiple opposition members, here is my take on the current mindset:
Every single protester on the street is aware that the police are waiting for them to do anything that gives an excuse. Foreigners don't always understand the dictatorships use a two-pronged approach, one part being heavy-handed violence and the other being heavy-handed propaganda. Like it or not, there's always a percentage of the population that buys into the propaganda, either by being stupid or by being centrist.
The protesters are very intentionally being careful to not give any excuse. That's why you see 70-year-old grandmothers walking in the streets wearing pure white, they want the evidence to be obvious when the police shove down and beat grandmother's bloody. They also want it to be impossible for the state to spin them as violent criminals
In short, these people are brave as f*
Many do suspect this will end in all out violence, but everyone knows that would give Russia an internationally acceptable excuse to join the party. The current thinking is Lukashenko may make a mistake (it is widely reported internally that he is on heavy medication and typically takes an entire month away from office following the election period, which has been impossible with the constant mass protests). His family has begun to leave the country, excluding his young son who he takes with him everywhere.
The people are being careful to say, at least for the time being, they do not want him dead, they only do not want him in the country. They're trying to give him every opportunity to flee and leave them to repair their own country
If you want to help, the biggest thing you can do is continue to give them international recognition. Share it on social platforms. After the first wave of violence, the international outcry caused Lukashenko to order the police to temporarily stop the beatings. The protests have continues to grow, and the violence has started again (as we all know, dictators have a really small playbook of possible control tactics). International outrage is more effective than you might realize.
EDIT: For those unaware, IT has grown significantly in Belarus. It's debated why this is the case (e.g. perhaps the dictatorship just does not know how to extract value from a company where seizing assets just leaves you with an empty shell of a previously valuable company), but regardless multiple Belarusians are entering the world stage with a reputation for being competent/capable/innovative with technology. It's been a interesting emergence of a new skilled class. Right now, Lukashenko is squishing that with his actions. Shutting of the internet is one example. Another example is retaliation, such as what is being done to PandaDoc (a Silicon Valley-based company). Their founders are Belarusian. After a statement by the founders, the state retaliated by raiding their Minsk offices and arresting employees. For more info, see https://savepandadoc.org/en/
I guess I visited the site in the past and had some old cache that crashed the site...
The way I see it there is no real opposition leaders, because they are in jail. This women triumvirate, whom were not leaders themselves was probably surprised themselves amount of support they got.
There seemingly is no plan by the opposition, other than hope that the regime turns on the Lukashenko. When that happens and there is no organized opposition, the regime just grows a new head. Which I guess would be a some sort of success.
Democracy (and the values it embodies like freedom of speech and assembly) is an agreement among the elite. If there is no agreement among the elite then democratic values has little chance surviving.
Yesterday, bandits from local militia arrested all the members of the water rescue crew that helped protesters out of the water where they jumped to escape.
The same day the head of the criminal police was photographed shattering the windows of a café where some of the protesters receded.
Yesterday again, a second heavily beaten dead body was found in the woods in what looks like a militia victim.
Merciless criminals took over all police and security forces and they act with total impunity.
How can there be "real opposition leaders" in in a scenario where they are beaten, imprisoned or exiled soon after becoming public figures?
I do think that it's a success they can even demonstrate, the regime is so brutal.
However when I look at further ahead, it feels bleak to me. 1990s criminals and their entourage have became the heads of state, how can you unseat them with leaderless opposition?
Lukashenka is 66, his main killer Pavlichenko is 50. Sheiman, another guy with blood on his hands, is even older. Their kids are grown ups but they have been kept away from state affairs.
I think they will wear out.
I think there is similar situation in Belarus, the criminals are in charge at all levels of state and each city. Sweeping it away without organized opposition requires a miracle.
414 points in 2 hours, yet pushed to the bottom of the second page for me at the moment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus_High_Technologies_Park