international of anarchist federations

l'international des federations anarchistes

Belarus: Call for Solidarity!

Minsk, Belarus. All 460 participants of the October square tent camp were arrested on the night of March 24. Before that, in Minsk alone 500 more activists were detained, both during the presidential election campaign and during the protests on the October Square on March 19-23. Overall in Belarus, the number of arrests reaches several thousand.

Population of the country is under information blockade: state media don’t cover what’s going on, or seriously misrepresent it, resorting even to outright and obvious lies.

People are intimidated everywhere. In universities, students are directly warned about punishments for participation in protests, after being absent from studies students have to prove that they weren’t on the square. All student participants are immediately expelled, curfew is introduced in dormitories. Students that were barely noticed around the tent camp had to write written explanations. Many students were expelled without any official explanation.

Workers of state enterprises are also under constant pressure. Minsk is flooded by undercover cops who “react” to any “unsanctioned” action, which last week included even carrying any food to or around the October square.

Production of sentences by courts is fully automated; many people get charged with “minor hooliganism” even though the only ones who acted disorderly on the square where undercover officers themselves.

Given these circumstances, all people who were repressed over the course of last weeks need as much solidarity as we can give!