LETTER FROM WARSAW
Upstairs in an unsigned bar, under the arches of a Warsaw bridge, Ihar and his brother Siarhei (their first names have been changed at their request for security reasons) sip their cocktails in the corner of the bar. The shakers of the Karma bartenders and the roar of the tram passing above in no way disturb the customers’ conversations in the cozy alcoves of this VIP floor. “We left Belarus the day after the invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022, explains Ihar, the eldest of the family. The very idea that our taxes could fuel the Putinian war machine was unbearable to us. »
An employee in the IT sector, he finally settled with his family in Poland in September 2022, after having stayed in several European countries. This thirty-year-old did not take part in the legislative vote held in Belarus on February 25. The diaspora is now being asked to travel to Minsk, the capital, to vote. Four parties close to the head of state claim a resounding victory in this democratic parody, boycotted by the political opposition in exile. This time, even international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have been banned.
Ihar and Siarhei have made Karma their second home, like many exiled Belarusians living in the Polish capital. From their nocturnal HQ, they discuss the metamorphosis of their country over the last four years. “We did everything to try to change things in Belarus in 2020 but, after the war in Ukraine, we understood that our own security was no longer guaranteed, testifies Ihar. Because my brother and I had voted for the opposition and participated in numerous demonstrations. »
Lukashenko, Putin’s vassal
Belarus, which borders Poland, Russia and Ukraine, is ruled with an iron fist by Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994. It was from this country that the assault on Ukraine was launched, on February 24, 2022. The fraudulent presidential election of August 2020, which he “officially” won with 80% of the votes, gave rise to an unprecedented popular uprising, severely repressed in the weeks that followed. Vassal of Vladimir Putin, the Belarusian president no longer tolerates any form of protest in his country.
Independent media, associations, opposition politicians and ordinary citizens who took to the streets to demand free elections were forced to leave the country. While 500,000 nationals are said to be abroad, Belarusian penitentiary establishments are full of prisoners like never before. The Belarusian human rights association, Viasna, lists more than 1,400 political prisoners – including 39 journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. A world record reported for a population of 9 million inhabitants. On February 20, a fifth political prisoner since 2021, Ihar Lednik, died in custody. “Deaths in cells, there will be others, deplores Ihar. The repression is reaching new heights. »
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