The devil we know in Minsk

Voices from Belarus: (wiretapped the oldfashioned way) "they forced me to share a cell with a certified psycho, "I spent three years in jail on politically motivated tax charges", "I was beaten nearly to death in the street and as my wounds were still healing, I was abducted from the hospital and taken to prison."

Foreign policy. "Europe is about to let its last dictator in from the cold. Here's why it should demand change instead."

Foreign policy: "The devil we know in Minsk" (full text)
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/09/the-devil-we-know-in-minsk-belarus-lukashenko/
"Sipping his coffee, Statkevich told me what it was like to be incarcerated for nearly five years. “They asked me to confess and beg for forgiveness from the president. If you sign this document, they told me, you can go home tomorrow. I refused. After years of pressure and isolation, they tried a new approach. Rather than isolate me, they forced me to share a cell with a certified psycho. I shared a cell with him for two months. I was only allowed to meet with my family once a year, for two hours each time, behind glass.… But I still refused to sign.”

As he was telling me about his ordeal, a young woman walked into the café. Rather than sit at any of the dozens of empty tables, she made a beeline for the booth directly next to ours. She sat down opposite me, took out her phone, and pretended to read. Statkevich paused, leaned forward and whispered: “I picked a café without any microphones hidden in the tables, so they have to do it the old fashioned way.” 



--- "For Washington, London, and Brussels, the prevailing wisdom today is to live with the dictatorial devil they know in Lukashenko, rather than risk yet another crisis ushered in by the democratic devil they don’t. As an added bonus, luring Belarus away from Putin would be a victory on the global chessboard.

But this approach has left brave Belarusian pro-democracy activists out to dry. Ales Byalyatski, a Belarusian opposition figure who spent three years in jail on politically motivated tax charges, says that little has really changed inside the country. “We are only hearing beautiful words from Belarusian diplomats about their readiness for cooperation [with the West],” he said. “Nevertheless, we are witnessing no actions in Belarus itself to improve the standing of democracy.”



--- "Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, a presidential candidate in 2010, recalls being attacked by the regime during that campaign. “I was beaten nearly to death in the street. Then, as my wounds were still healing, I was abducted from the hospital and taken to prison. These abuses won’t stop with the suspension of sanctions. Change can only happen if the West finds the line where helping Belarus begins and helping Lukashenko ends.”



--- "The future looks bleak for democracy in Belarus. As Lukashenko achieves warmer relations with Western governments while producing no meaningful democratic reform, the pro-democracy forces fighting for a better and more democratic future in their country are being disarmed. In Minsk, spring may be around the corner. But for Belarusian democracy, Lukashenko’s winter is unlikely to end for years, even decades, as reformers are left out in the cold."



Foto: Kerstin Lindén