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1 [1] (May 5, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedew0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C I e Service hi mThQ hi ~j e~ s~rv W14 Updated May 5, 2021 Belarus: An Overview In 2020, protests against allegedly widespread electoral fraud and a brutal crackdown onprotestors led to therise of a mass opposition movement in Belarus, on a s cale unseen since the country became independent in 1991 (Belarus previously was part of the Soviet Union). The protests emerged in the wake of Belarus's August 2020presidential election, during which opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskayamounted an unexpectedly strong campaign against Aleksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for more than 26 years. Human rights activists and monitors report that during the crackdown more than 33,000 Belarusians have been temporarily detained or impris oned and that currently 360, including more than 45 women, are politicalprisoners. At least 10 demonstrators and others have beenkilled or died in custody or undersuspicious circumstances. The United States, the European Union (EU), the U.N. Human Rights Council, and others have called for an end to the crackdown and for the government to conduct a dialogue with the opposition and to hold free and fair presidential elections. Political Background In past years, observers debated whether Lukashenko could be encouraged to preside over a softer and more development-oriented authoritarian regime, but political openings in Belarus were modest and short-lived. Prior to the 2020 election, Lukashenko appeared to be interested in tightening Belarus's authoritarian system. In 2019 elections, pro-government candidates won all 110 seats in the lower houseofBelarus's legislature. In 2020, Lukashenko appointed an official from the security sector as prime minister. FromMay 2020, Belarusian authorities tried,but failed, to suppress an unexpectedly energetic electoral opposition. Tsikhanouskay a was a politicalnovice who entered the race after her spouse, Siarhei Ts ikhanousky, a popular anti- government video blogger, was denied candidate registration whenhe and dozens ofother governmentcritics were in temporary detention. After his initialrelease, Tsikhanousky was arrested again while collecting signatures forhis wife's candidacy; he remains in prison. Tsikhanouskayabecame the united opposition candidate after two prominent potential candidates were denied registration. On the campaign trail, Tsikhanouskaya pledged to bea transitional figure who would reintroduce democracy to Belarus. One denied candidate's campaign manager, Mariya Kalesnikava, and the spouseof another denied candidate, Veranika Ts apkala,joinedher on the campaign. The three women attracted tens of thousands to demonstrations. ttps://crsreport Given Lukashenko's authoritarian rule, observers did not expect Tsikhanouskaya to win the election. However, the official pronouncement that Lukashenko won with an evidently exaggerated 80% of the vote (to 10% for Tsikhanouskaya) quickly led to protests. The brutal crackdown that followed led to larger protests that many observers characterized as leaderless and sometimes attracted hundreds ofthousands. Protests subsequently dwindled in frequency and size, but activists adoptednew methods ofprotest andengagement. Fiaure I _ RIlarui at a Cinnre Sources: World Bank; Trade Data Monitor. Exile, imprisonment, and persecutionhave imposed challenges for the opposition. Ts ikhanouskay aleft Belarus after she was detained and threatened with imprisonment. From neighboring Lithuania, Tsikh anouskay a formed a Coordination Council to help lead the opposition. Five of the council's seven senior members were detained after it was established. In September2020, former campaign manager Kalesnikava was abducted and dispatched to the Belarus -Poland border. She was imprisoned after she refused to leave the country. Kalesnikava and another council member, Maxim Znak, remain in prison. Others have left Belarus. The oppositionhas organized various actions to increase pressure on the government of Belarus and to secure international attention. The opposition has been supported by a networkof former law enforcement officials who reportedly quit their jobs in protest (or were dis mis sed) and who seekto expose allegedgovernment crimes, including against opposition figures and protesters. The opposition also has been supportedby members ofBelarus's once- burgeoning information and communications technology (ICT) industry, many of whomhave left the country together with s everal ICT comp anies. Relations with the West The United States, the EU, and others have condemned state-sponsoredviolence against protestors anddetainees in .conagress.gov 9

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