The human rights activist lives in exile in Lithuania, like 60,000 of his fellow Belarusians. We met him on one in every of his latest visits to Brussels, the place he usually represents Viasna, the most important human rights centre in Belarus, and the Belarusian Common Entrance founder and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Ales Bialiatski, at present imprisoned in Belarus.
Voxeurop: What’s Viasna and what does it do?
Kanstantsin Staradubets: In a nutshell we offer free authorized recommendation to the victims of human rights violations and in addition different sorts of help: humanitarian help and sensible help, and we gather details about human rights violation and expose them on our web site and social media accounts, and we share info with pro-democratic media based mostly in protected locations in exile.
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We do have our sources on the bottom in Belarus. They gather info on what is going on throughout the nation, not solely in Minsk or within the main cities, as a result of the repression impacts actually each city and metropolis. Truly, after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, nearly all of victims of human rights violations have been within the Southern areas. It’s the place folks noticed with their very own eyes the Russian army transferring in the direction of Ukraine; they may not stay silent, and shared that info with human rights defenders and the impartial media. A few of them have been arrested, overwhelmed, tortured, and sentenced for as much as 23 years for “anti-war propaganda” and even 25 years for “terrorism”.
How do you handle to supply humanitarian help or authorized recommendation inside Belarus and the carceral system?
It’s fairly dangerous, so I can not get into a lot element, however the very nature of the nation’s jail system and the system of felony prosecution limits the opportunity of contacting and visiting these arrested or serving jail sentences. Which means that in actual life solely their members of the family can do it. So our predominant process is to make sure that the members of the family and the political prisoners obtain this help in order that they will share it with their family members. It’s in fact dangerous for them, and there are a lot of instances wherein political prisoners’ members of the family have been arrested for criticizing the authorities.
Ales Bialiatski, who’s now 62, is in jail since 2021, first for “tax evasion”, then, in March 2023, he has been sentenced to 10 years for “money smuggling” in addition to “financing group actions that grossly violated public order” – all expenses that human rights organisations view as fabricated to be able to silence him and his motion after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. What’s he doing and what’s his mind-set ?
Sadly he can not do any human rights work properly whereas in detention. Furthermore he’s assigned to carry out unpaid handbook work six days per week so he would not even have a whole lot of free time. We don’t obtain a lot info from him as a result of the jail authorities and plenty of different authorities companies purposefully block info coming from contained in the jail they usually block letters coming inside. So the prisoners stay on this vacuum of not understanding even what’s going on in their very own nation.
They don’t seem to be allowed to get information from the skin. Simply think about that when the all-out invasion of Ukraine began, many prisoners discovered it solely weeks later, when the state tv started airing some propaganda tales about it, or disputing the truth that some missiles have been launched from Belarusian territory.
Bialitski is just not in full isolation, like many different well-known political prisoners. He can nonetheless obtain some letters from his spouse and he can ship letters however he doesn’t get any information as a result of prisoners aren’t allowed to write down or learn something political or economical within the letters. It’s strictly forbidden. They’ll solely discuss what they do in on a regular basis life with out criticizing the authorities in fact or their circumstances as prisoners.
Did the Nobel prize change something to his detention circumstances?
We can’t be certain about that, however we will see that at the least he isn’t utterly incommunicado, and that he is alive at the least. We hope that this award elevated the price of this hostage for Alexander Lukashenka’s regime; that he will likely be valued as a token for a peaceable bargaining sooner or later. That is what Lukashanka did on many events earlier than so we anticipate that he’ll repeat this once more.
He would not complain; his spirit is excessive and he says he is okay and that we must always keep it up. He understands that his instance, as a task mannequin, is inspiring. He simply can’t be in a nasty temper regardless of the circumstances.
Viasna operates from exile from Vilnius, in Lithuania, the place the federal government in exile of the president-elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya can be settled. Do you’re employed with them?
Sure in fact. We do work along with Tsikhanouskaya’s workplace on matters that we share, like supporting political prisoners and their households, in addition to the previous ones. On this case, we coordinate our actions.
How are the Lithuanian authorities and the Lithuanian folks coping with the Belarusian group in exile, after virtually 5 years for the reason that large arrival of political refugees?
They proceed supporting us each when it comes to legalization and visas and plenty of different issues which can be simply fundamental requirements for our survival as an organisation. After all, after the warfare began, there was some disapproval for the Belarusians who have been looking for refuge, as a result of Belarus is an ally of the aggressor, however it isn’t the federal government’s coverage. A ballot revealed in late 2023 by the newspaper Delfi confirmed that solely 5% of Lithuanians assist welcoming Belarussians in Lithuania. It was a form of shock to us, as a result of we don’t sense it once we relate to the authorities, nor will we really feel any hostility from the folks.
What number of Belarusians are in exile in Lithuania?
There aren’t any official figures, however essentially the most credible ones say at the least 60,000, and most of them are in Vilnius, which is a fairly small metropolis – it has a bit greater than 600,000 inhabitants, in a rustic that has solely 2.8 million inhabitants. After all, this has had an impression on society, particularly on rents, which have soared, but additionally positively, as most of these folks discovered a job and pay taxes. Lots of the main Belarusian IT corporations relocated to Lithuania after 2020.
What are the communication channels nonetheless present between Western nations and the Belarusian regime?
The one communication channels are by means of the Western nations’ embassies in Minsk, who can relate to the Belarusian ministry of International affairs.
Belarus has suffered an enormous mind drain within the final years, with folks fleeing not just for political but additionally for economical causes. Did the regime apply any particular coverage to carry again a number of the most dear employees?
The aim of the restrictions the federal government lately launched on passports’ renewal [since September 2023, Belarusian passports cannot be renewed any more in consulates abroad, but only in offices in Belarus] is to power financial slightly than political exiles to return to Belarus to contribute to the financial system, which isn’t performing properly. Possibly some IT employees may select to return. However for us political and human rights activists this isn’t an possibility. Solely a regime change could have us coming again. However I don’t anticipate this variation to return by means of the upcoming elections. It’s extra probably like it would include the victory of Ukraine in its warfare in opposition to Russia. This could have a number of penalties: even when Vladimir Putin continues to be in energy, however weakened, Lukashenka may really feel that it’s safer for him to change sides, as he did in lots of events, and start negotiating with the West, utilizing the political prisoners as a discount token to get sanction lifted, for instance.
Solely a regime change could have us exiles coming again. However I don’t anticipate this variation to return by means of the upcoming elections. It’s extra probably like it would include the victory of Ukraine in its warfare in opposition to Russia
What’s Belarusian’s folks assist for Russia’s invasion?
Truly, each Putin and Lukashenka vouch for minimal army assist to Russia’s so-called “Particular army operation” in Ukraine, as a result of it is vitally unpopular among the many Belarusian public. A much bigger involvement of the Belarusian military would carry discontent among the many inhabitants, thus some potential unrest and instability, which can get uncontrolled of Lukashenka; and that is positively one thing Putin doesn’t need. Moreover, the Belarusian military is small, ill-prepared, ill-experienced and ill-equipped.
Is Belarusian society prepared for a change within the regime, or has Lukashenka managed to utterly eradicate civil society?
I imagine that there’s a minimal needed social foundation for that. There are various individuals who stated “no” to Russia and “sure” to a European future. This has not modified since 2020 rigged elections. We additionally imagine within the constructive impact of the civil society that we could be of use of assist throughout this transformation; and naturally the function of the political opposition is essential. The success of this transition depends upon how efficient the democratic forces will likely be throughout this era. We do not know what these forces will seem like then, however from what we see as we speak, they completely abide by human rights values and democracy. There is no such thing as a pro-Russian sentiment, nor even a debate about Russia being an ally in Belarus’ future. This needs to be a assure of a pro-European Belarus.
Is there a era hole between those that assist Lukashenka’s regime and its opponents?
Sure, completely, and it is vitally so obvious. The youthful era are principally pro-European they know what human rights signifies why they’re essential. The youthful era aren’t that a lot uncovered to authorities propaganda as a result of they do not watch tv. Their predominant sources of data are social media and the web, and you can’t block it utterly after which you’ll find methods to learn impartial web sites inside Belarus. Even older folks can know find out how to watch YouTube and use a VPN.
Do you intend to observe the 26 January presidential elections, such as you did with the earlier ones and final yr’s basic elections? What do you anticipate from them?
Like within the earlier elections, we assume that the vote will likely be rigged and that the federal government will announce an enormous turnout – someplace round 80% of the eligible voters – and that Lukashenka will likely be re-elected with greater than 80% of votes. As previously, we anticipate the federal government to power these whose jobs depend upon the state – that’s 70% of the lively inhabitants – to go to the polls. After all that isn’t verifiable, as polling stations don’t file studies on voting, and impartial worldwide organisations, just like the OSCE, won’t be allowed to observe the vote. We’ll observe the election from exterior, by means of monitoring social media conversations and on the bottom citizen remark and studies by means of protected channels.
I’d wish to stress one once more that the circumstances of imprisoned folks in Belarus are sometimes underestimated. For a lot of prisoners, as a result of they’d rules, these jail sentences are demise sentences.
What do you anticipate from the EU ?
Two issues: first is assist for the civil Society and the political opposition. Monetary assist for civil society is vital for serving to the 1000’s of people that have been, are and are anticipated to be victims of repression.
Secondly, we would like extra visibility for Belarus and what’s occurring there. The much less folks converse and know concerning the state of affairs there, the extra Lukashenka is successful, and other people in Belarus are being forgotten, and that permits the regime to be much more repressive.
We additionally need the Belarusian regime to be accountable, and to be prosecuted for crimes in opposition to humanity dedicated in Belarus by the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC). There are a number of European nations – like Lithuania or Poland – which may prosecute Belarusian officers for crimes in opposition to humanity underneath the common jurisdiction or inside the ICC. We’d like at the least a few victories in such common jurisdiction instances to encourage Belarusian who’re combating for justice to talk out. There already are just a few instances introduced up on which courageous and succesful native legal professionals are working, and we want extra of them to be able to present different victims the braveness to succeed in out to courts, and prosecutors to maneuver on.