However none of the freed political prisoners has been allowed to take part in this weekend’s elections and the opposition have called on Brussels to keep up the sanctions against Lukashenko and his inner circle.
Advertisement
The multimedia presentation was held by Director of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War Nikolai Kobelev, Director of the Brest Fortress Memorial Grigory Bysyuk and Director of the historical and cultural complex Stalin’s Line Alexander Metla. So far this year, 28 journalists in the former Soviet republic have been slapped with hefty fines, in a few cases after intimidating interrogation by the KGB. He also wants to boost his economy, which is exposed to the recession in Russian Federation and shrank by 4 percent in the January-July period.
Two independent media outlets this week accused the government of blocking their websites after they ran stories about university students being forced to go to a public prayer session attended by Lukashenko and his 12-year-old son.
Those pushes have covered a feeling among European Union authorities that is actually Lukashenko, the intimate Moscow supporter known inside of the West as Europe’s “last master”, is starting Belarus to Europe. Small independent newspapers are barely able to survive due to a combination of political and economic pressures.
“Lukashenko is sending a signal that he will remain in power for as long as he likes and is presenting us the next ruler”, Anatoly Lebedko, the leader of the opposition United Civic Party, told AFP.
The election campaign is barely visible on the streets of Belarusian cities.
Among the freed opponents was Mikola Statkevich, a former presidential candidate imprisoned since 2010.
Advertisement
The sanctions, which include asset freezes and visa bans, will be officially suspended at the end of October for four months, European Union sources say. Lukashenko did not publicly support Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, and Western officials have recently said that the sanctions against Lukashenko could come under review.
