(Adnkronos) – Belarusian authorities have launched a wave of arrests ahead of the January elections. This was reported by the Viasna Human Rights Center, according to which Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is resorting to repression to secure his seventh term. According to Viasna, over 100 people have been arrested in the past week, many of whom 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 protests like those in 2020 against alleged electoral fraud, are now seen as threats.
Prisons are overcrowded and many inmates, including political prisoners, face harsh detention conditions. The number of convictions for treason is also increasing rapidly. Eighty-eight people have been convicted on charges of treason, double the number 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 has not had free and fair elections since 1994. The previous presidential elections, which Lukashenko claimed to have won by a landslide, with 80% of the vote, sparked protests across the country and a subsequent crackdown on dissent by the regime. In an attempt to crack down on the opposition, the Lukashenko regime has eliminated independent media, shut down over 1,700 non-profit civic organizations, banned all but four political parties loyal to the regime, and imprisoned over 1,300 political prisoners.
