ISHR: Total control of the dictator Lukashenko

Belarusian democracy movement must continue to be supported

Minsk/Frankfurt-am-Main, 27 January 2025 – The so-called presidential elections in Belarus are a farce and a mockery of any democratic principles, criticises the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR). All relevant opponents and opposition-minded civil society have been arrested or have left the country. The continuous arbitrary arrests and the thousands of cases of torture in prisons symbolise the dictator Lukashenko’s total control. The IGFM calls for stronger support for the Belarusian diaspora in Germany and further sanctions against Lukashenko’s regime.

“The incumbent ruler Lukashenko presents himself to the outside world as the guarantor of order for his people, while in reality he has imprisoned or forced out of the country all his opponents and the democracy movement that took part in the protests in 2020. The mass arrests, the torture in the prisons, the complete isolation and isolation of political prisoners bear witness to the inhuman state terror of the Lukashenko regime,” emphasises IGFM Chairman Edgar Lamm.

Belarusian opposition organised large protest in Warsaw

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and representatives of the opposition who were expelled from the country organised a large protest march in Warsaw on Sunday under the slogan “Not my choice”. They carried a 350-metre-long white-red-white flag through the streets of the Polish capital, which has become the country’s alternative flag since the crackdown on the opposition in 2020

ISHR appeals to German government

In view of the ongoing repression against the opposition and civil society in Belarus, support for the Belarusian diaspora in Germany must be intensified: This includes the extension of visas for Belarusians who cannot return to the country, as well as further sanctions and the refusal to cooperate with Lukashenko’s regime. The IGFM strongly recommends refraining from travelling to the country.