Solidarity with Belarus

The Kremlin declared today that President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko had agreed in a phone call that the “problems” in Belarus would be swiftly resolved. I am not alone in finding this deeply ominous. What has been happening on the streets of Minsk and other towns and cities in the landlocked republic recently has been both depressing and inspiring. Depressing because of the violence meted out against peaceful protesters outraged by the blatantly fraudulent election that officially saw Lukashenko returned with over 80% of the vote. But inspiring because the “usual suspects” of liberally-minded young university graduates have this time been joined by a more representative cross-section of the Belorussian public, including striking workers. This even led to the unusual step of hundreds of detainees being released — many displaying hideous bruises and other injuries from brutal mistreatment.

Meanwhile, Lukashenko has been on television arguing that this whole pro-democracy episode has been orchestrated from abroad. It is true that many opponents of the regime in Minsk have sought sanctuary in Lithuania and Poland. But there is no doubting the popular momentum on the ground inside Belarus. Remembering how the crowds managed to dislodge Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania in 1989 one can’t help but wish for history to repeat itself — but without a bloody end for the dictator . Let him retire to a dacha in Sochi or some other Russian safe haven. Or maybe preferably stand trial. I am sure Vladimir Putin will firmly resist the latter. Although he has become increasingly impatient with Lukashenko in recent years he finds Belarus is a useful buffer zone between Russia and the EU. Let us hope that he does not respond to the current challenge by deciding that Belarus would be an even more important buffer if it were absorbed into the Russian Federation. The narrative that what is turning into an uprising is the work of foreign agents must be challenged and the voices of the people of Belarus must be heard.