On 10 August, much of the world woke up to a news story from Belarus about a stolen presidential election, people peacefully protesting that election’s results, and a subsequent violent crackdown. The peaceful protests have continued every day since and images of an increasingly violent and repressive reaction on the part of authorities hoping to maintain their 26-year grip on power have captured the attention of many. Four weeks since that election and the launch of those protests, international support and solidarity is more important than ever.
We are a country of 9.5 million people, between the European Union and Russia. Our post-election struggle is a peaceful one which has brought together every corner of society: grandmothers standing up to riot police, students locking arms and calling for freedom, journalists unshackled from unspoken rules dictating their coverage, women in the street joining and leading, and a political opposition united in a desire for free and fair elections. Belarus and our peaceful struggle to simply have free and fair elections should matter to us all.
What the people of Belarus want from the international community is for our struggle to receive much-needed solidarity and support. Without international support, the post-election violence committed by the authorities against peaceful protesters will continue and will intensify. We – the representatives of the Belarusian Human Rights House, a coalition of national human rights organisations – know what the international community must do to support our struggle for free and fair elections and an end to gross human rights violations.
