Women of Belarus March Against ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’

Image courtesy of WikiMedia

By Madhavi Rao ’24

Staff Writer

On Sept. 19, approximately 2,000 women marched through Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, as a part of more than six weeks of protests against the results of the recent presidential election, which has caused unrest across the country. Dissent has been targeted towards what is seen as the fraudulent reelection of the long-standing president, Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko, who is also known as “Europe’s last dictator,” has ruled since 1994. The title was awarded to him following the dissolution of presidential term limits, years of voter fraud and his lead in arresting any challengers to his presidency. As reported by The Washington Post, these ploys have come to be seen as “the pitiful acts of a tyrant who has no legitimacy and clings desperately to power.” 

In regard to the months of protests, Lukashenko’s government has responded with a brutal crackdown. Since the wave of unrest began in August, more than 10,000 peaceful protesters have been arrested, according to U.N. Special Rapporteur Anaïs Marin. Middle Eastern news network Al-Jazeera has reported that the detained protesters are subjected to torture and abuse in custody, resulting in the deaths of several protesters. 

This abusive treatment of protesters is a driving force for the Women’s March in Minsk. Irina K. Palyukovich, a protester at the march, told The New York Times, “Women can do a lot, they can fight against a dictator. Men cannot do that not because they are weak, but they are more vulnerable. They are being beaten more often.”  

Around 2,000 women marched around the capital city on Sept. 19, carrying red and white opposition flags and demanding the removal of Lukashenko from his position. This was confronted with more state-sanctioned violence, as approximately 300 protesters were dragged into vans and forcibly detained. Step Vaessen, reporting for Al-Jazeera, stated that Lukashenko’s response to the protests was to “treat everyone as violently as possible,” crushing dissent by “making sure that people are so scared and intimidated that they will stop these protests.” 

In a statement released before the march, opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya advocated for the “brave women of Belarus.” Tikhanovskaya, a former teacher, ran for president in the place of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovskaya, who was jailed for being a vocal supporter of the opposition. Of the three female leaders of the opposition, two — Tikhanovskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo — have fled the country. The conditions of their departure to Lithuania closely following the election results are said to have been under duress from the Belarusian government. 

The third leader of the opposition, Maria Kolesnikova, who previously ripped up her passport to avoid deportation to Ukraine, has been arrested for “actions aimed at undermining Belarusian national security,” according to NBC. Kolesnikova was last seen being pushed into a minibus by masked men in Minsk. Her current whereabouts are unknown. 

Lukashenko has faced little opposition during his rule, but the government’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with grievances about the economy, have led to a strong wave of dissent among the public. According to BBC News, Tikhanovskaya says that she won 60-70 percent of the vote in places it was counted properly. Lukashenko’s reelection, with an alleged 80 percent majority, caused outrage across the country. 

Assistant Professor of International Relations and Politics Christopher Mitchell commented on Lukashenko’s regime. “What these events show is just how delicate a position Lukashenko finds himself in,” Mitchell said. “His dictatorship has largely survived because he’s enjoyed the support of Vladimir Putin. However, this has put Belarus in a position where it frequently bends to Russia’s will, inflaming resentment among a segment of the population.” 

Mitchell continued, “To manage this, Lukashenko has gently pushed back against Putin to look more assertive, and Putin has been reluctant to get involved directly to support him.”

Alejandra German Chavarin ’23, a history and politics double major, believes that the protests are a valid reaction to the electoral issues. “The ‘president’ Mr. Lukashenko hasn't been considered a legitimate leader by many countries including the U.S,” Chavarin said. “This uproar deserves attention because it obviously points at wide dissatisfaction amongst the citizens, one that would make the alleged 80 percent of votes that Mr. Lukashenko received questionable.”

A fresh wave of protests broke out after Lukashenko was sworn in at a secret inauguration on Sept. 23. The Moscow Times reported that unlike previous inaugurations, the ceremony was not shown on live TV. Instead, photographs of Lukashenko swearing-in and a transcript of his inaugural address were published by the state-run news agency, BelTA. 

Ales Belyatsky, head of the human rights group Viasna, said to The Moscow Times, “If the inauguration had been announced in advance, 200,000 demonstrators would have gathered outside his palace.” In a statement, Tikhanovskaya called the ceremony “a farce.” The United States and several European countries such as Germany have refused to recognize Lukashenko’s presidency. 

Mitchell said concerning the inauguration, “Lukashenko's best strategy is to wait out the opposition and hope that they lose intensity with time. Therefore, any large public display of asserting his authority runs the risk of reviving the opposition, and he can no longer count on Putin to support him.”