Belarus ‘reminiscent of Ukraine’s Maidan’ – or not even close?

     

 

Belarus is reminiscent of Ukraine during the Orange Revolution and Maidan, analyst Anders Åslund tweeted. Lukashenko appears to have crossed a line as Yanukovych did on January 16, 2014 with his dictatorship laws. His legitimacy seems to be gone. My sense is that Lukashenko will fall within 3 months.

But even though its ongoing protests are surprisingly big, Belarus under President Aleksandr Lukashenko is a whole different ballgame than Viktor Yanukovych’s Ukraine, FP’s Amy Mackinnon reports in Not Maidan.

Credit: BFT

Doctors in Mogilev are walking out with pictures of all wounded protesters depicting horrible wounds received through beatings, stun grenades and rubber bullets, the Belarus Free theater tweeted (below).

While Lukashenka’s repression continues unabated, impacting Belarus and protesting Belarusians, the main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was forced to flee Belarus under duress to Lithuania for refuge. Meanwhile, the international response to the election has been mixed with China and Russia quickly congratulating Lukashenka and the EU, United States, and transatlantic partners calling the elections fraudulent, condemning and urging an end to Lukashenka’s unconscionable violent crackdown of Belarusians, RFE/RL adds.

Join the German Marshall Fund of the United State’s (GMF) Frontlines of Democracy Initiative and GMF’s Warsaw Office for a critical and timely discussion focused on the outcome of August 9 presidential election, the current situation on the ground in Belarus, and what comes next for Belarusians and Lukashenka as the protests continue.

Keeping the Spotlight on Belarus: 
The Election, Protests, and What Comes Next

Wednesday, August 18, 2020. 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. EDT / 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. CEST

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Anna Maria Dyner, Analyst, Belarus and security policy of the Russian Federation, International Security Programme, PISM

Joerg Forbrig, Senior Fellow and Director for Central and Eastern Europe, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Jonathan Katz, Senior Fellow, Frontlines of Democracy Initiative, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Veranika Laputska, Co-founder, EAST Center and Rethink.CEE Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Alyaksey Znatkevich, Journalist, Belarusian Service, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
 Join via Zoom webinar. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 

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