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Editor's note: The article was updated with the figure of Belarusians sentenced for treason.
Belarusian authorities have initiated a wave of arrests ahead of January’s election, Viasna human rights center reported on Nov. 6.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, is using repressions to lay ground for securing his seventh term.
According to Viasna, over 100 people have been detained in the last week. Many of those arrested have been linked to online neighborhood chats, which authorities recently labeled “extremist” and accused of being part of a conspiracy.
These local chats, once used to coordinate 2020 protests against alleged election fraud, are now seen as threats.
Jails are overcrowded, and many detainees, including political prisoners, face harsh conditions.
The number of treason convictions is also quickly increasing. Eighty-eight people received sentences on treason charges, twice as many as nine years ago, Viasna said.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the crackdown, calling on the West to respond and urging Belarusians to vote against all candidates.
Belarus hasn’t had free or fair elections since 1994. The previous presidential election, which Lukashenko claimed to have won by a landslide with 80% of the vote, provoked nationwide protests and a subsequent regime crackdown on dissent.
In the course of quelling the opposition, Lukashenko’s regime eliminated independent media, closed over 1,700 non-profit civic organizations, banned all but four political parties loyal to the regime, and jailed over 1,300 political prisoners.
Kateryna Denisova
