Belarus

Walls, migrations, refugees and a new interactive story by Outriders

1 December 2023

Border barriers and the natural environment: from Asia to the USA

Native Ainu, Mercosur and soil carbon sequestration

14 July 2023

SCO, Mercosur and the Lithuanian strategy for the Indo-Pacific

Lañilawal, a time bank and a "tattoo" for your heart made from graphene

12 May 2023

Attacks on human rights activists and the state of press freedom in the world

Gikomba, space rice and wooden HIMARS

9 September 2022

The fate of the missing in Mexico, Ukraine and Pakistan

Belarus. Behind the Bars

Belarus. Behind the Bars

In 2020, when the protests in Belarus started, the primary form of punishment for casual demonstrators was 15-day isolation in custody. The characters of that story are people who first met in a prison cell - they were to spend there next two weeks or a month after being arrested by the police in November 2020, when regime forces began to suppress protests with greater strength.

#VisaToNowhere

Lebanon, Dubai, Turkey, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Germany... Belarus has been accused of issuing tourist visas to migrants and helping them to enter Europe. How is the complete journey of migrants arriving from the Middle East to Europe via Minsk? Which role does the Belarus government play in it? What reasons force these individuals and families, including children, to embark on such a dangerous trip?

Belarusian revolution

Belarusian revolution

On August 2020, after the presidential elections, the CEC declared Aliaksandr Lukašenka, the winner for the sixth time. It caused a wave of large-scale protests across Belarus.

Old vs new: How did the Belarussian opposition change between 2000 and 2020?

Old vs new: How did the Belarussian opposition change between 2000 and 2020?

In the summer of 2020, Belarus was a popular topic everywhere. After the presidential election, thousands of people took part in massive protests that lasted for months. There was shelling, arrests, and even killings – which happened for the first time. Protesters were often referred to as pacifists because they tried to avoid violence. However, […]

Minsk: decentral strike

Minsk: decentral strike

Pandemic: the Belarusian Stories

Pandemic: the Belarusian Stories

Many were shocked when the Victory Day 75th anniversary parade took place as scheduled in early May, and thousands of troops marched in formation before closely packed crowds in Minsk. That was perhaps President Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s most marked thumbing of his nose at those calling for stricter restrictions against the spread of the coronavius. But […]

Telegram reality: how the messenger influenced the Belarusian protest

Telegram reality: how the messenger influenced the Belarusian protest

Minsk, August 10, evening time. Several thousand people gathered near Pushkinskaya metro station. Mobile internet has been disconnected for two days already. Residential internet works intermittently, and even VPN does not help. A rumour has begun to spread among the crowd that the security forces had shot a protester. No one has any understanding of […]

IT sector in Belarus: How was it born?

IT sector in Belarus: How was it born?

After the USSR collapsed, there was literally nothing in Belarus, but only in terms of material goods. In terms of knowledge, people from the Soviet system and universities were able to create an IT industry, which in 30 years became equal to agriculture regarding its share in GDP. And then, a new political crisis broke […]

The Belarusian Inquisition

The Belarusian Inquisition

“I was beaten only once. Probably it was my fault – I was rude to the officer,” 20-year-old Yulia said. She spent three days in the detention center on Akrestsin Street after being detained the night following the presidential election on 9 August. She and thousands of others had converged in central Minsk to demand […]

The Revolution Will Be Advertised

The Revolution Will Be Advertised

Until a few years ago the question of whether Belarusian brands might take advantage of political events in their advertising would be considered hypothetical, or even awkward. But 2020 came and quickly changed everything. First of all, the demonstrations in Belarus grew to a mass scale compared to previous protests. Second, those same protests emerged […]

“I’m going out.” A courtyard where change is born

“I’m going out.” A courtyard where change is born

The protests, which began in Belarus immediately after the announcement of the presidential elections’ results, have not stopped for several months. One of the main symbols of the ongoing unrest in Minsk is the “Square of Changes.” This small courtyard in the Belarusian capital not only became famous throughout Minsk and far beyond its borders […]

Flowers and firearms. Belarusians are united against police violence

Flowers and firearms. Belarusians are united against police violence

What started as a post-election protest has become the popular uprising against longtime President Aleksandr Lukashenko. In the last week, Belarus has seen some of the most extreme police violence in its modern history. First during the street clashes, when police have used live ammunition and firearms against demonstrators. Then as accounts spread of chilling […]

Waiting for a move

Waiting for a move

Just ten days ago, peaceful rallies of support for the opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya – a winner in the last presidential election according to independent observers – were held all over Belarus. However, the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Belarus has ruled that it is Alexander Lukashenko who won the election. Over the […]

Lukashenko may be announced the winner. But his victory won’t last long

Lukashenko may be announced the winner. But his victory won’t last long

The outcome won’t be any different. But the people of Belarus have already shown they want change. In the past weeks and months, Belarus has seen some of the most unusual scenes in its history. Kilometres-long lines of people waiting to leave signatures in support of their candidates. Thousands gathered in provincial towns, where protests […]

Dismissed as ‘poor thing,’ she gathered the largest rally in a decade. In Belarus, Lukashenko faces a female challenge

Dismissed as ‘poor thing,’ she gathered the largest rally in a decade. In Belarus, Lukashenko faces a female challenge

The Viasna human rights centre said at least 63,000 supporters of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya turned up for the rally, making it the most massive political demonstration in the past decade and recent Belarusian history. The rally came as Belarus authorities accused top members of the opposition of collaborating with Russian private military contractors to orchestrate mass […]

Three women against Lukashenko. Belarusians massively gathered at first rallies of unified opposition

Three women against Lukashenko. Belarusians massively gathered at first rallies of unified opposition

The Belarusian opposition’s main presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held her first rally on Sunday. At least 7,500 people took to streets in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. It is an astonishing number, which perhaps surprised Tsikhanouskaya and the rest of her team. When she came on stage and saw the crowds, she broke into tears. […]