One defining attribute of the Belarusian people, whether at home or abroad, is our decency. Spanning our more than a millennium-year old history, through great wars and famines, and through periods of intense political unrest and economic uncertainty, we as individual citizens and as a culture have demonstrated an abiding allegiance to social decency, a spirit of civic duty, and an unrelenting commitment to the well-being of our fellow citizens. It is this enduring national characteristic that provides us with inexhaustible hope for a better future for our motherland.
As a generation of our citizens, on one hand, aspires to achieve their full human and economic potential, we continue, on the other, to contend with the politics, oppression, and the governance model of a bygone era that most other European societies have successfully, and happily, laid to rest. As we approach another national election that promises to be anything but fair, our newer generations have made us immensely proud by carrying the same historic torch of decency; through their fight for human rights, political freedom and genuine democracy. And the world has taken notice.
The upcoming election on August 9, like all others under the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko for the last 26 years, is being rightly criticized for excluding his main political rivals, electoral malpractice, and systematic oppression of political groups, and even ordinary citizens, opposed to him.
While the candidacy of presidential challenger, banker Viktor Babariko, was rejected by the central election commission due to a criminal case filed against him, another challenger, former ambassador Valery Tsepkalo, was barred after disallowing some of the signatures supporting his candidacy.
Lukashenko is also facing searing criticism within Belarus and internationally for dealing very poorly with the COVID-19 pandemic, his government’s economic record and, beyond everything, for harsh and unjust treatment of peaceful protestors demonstrating for their right to free and fair elections. This includes violence against them in various forms – beatings, illegal detentions, and even kidnappings by secret government forces, most infamously OMON (special police units), to suppress their legitimate political struggle.
It is time for Belarusians the world over to stand in solidarity with their fellow citizens in our collective fight to save freedom, free speech, and fair elections from political oppression in Belarus. It is time to ratchet up international pressure on Lukashenko’s government to enforce well accepted global standards for transparent elections, including participation of all legitimate presidential challengers, access to election observers from the United Nations and the unconditional release of political prisoners.
Today, July 26th 2020, the proud citizens of Belarus here in Seattle stand shoulder to shoulder in support of peaceful protestors and our beloved Belarus. We join this noble fight today in order to give our next generations a better tomorrow. Long live Belarus!
Author: Sviatlana Kazachok
The Belarusan-American Association, Inc. (BAZA) 