New Belarusian Method of Suppression; Children of Protesters Sent to Orphanages

Since the beginning of this year, measures have been implemented in Belarus that allow the government to send children of parents who have expressed any opposition to Lukashenko's regime to orphanages on a large scale. Many individuals who were arrested during street protests against the regime in 2020 and 2021 on charges of 'extremism' now face the threat of losing their children. According to the new regulations, those accused of 'spreading extremist content' may also be deprived of the right to keep their child. Any reference to content published in opposition media or liking a post on social media written by an 'extremist' is considered a criminal offense in Belarus. The list of 'extremist sources' compiled by the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs contains thousands of entries and is updated daily. Members of several families declared by the government as 'families in socially dangerous situations' and threatened with parental rights deprivation have confidently stated in an interview with the Belarusian section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that in the run-up to the new presidential elections, Lukashenko's regime is using children as a new tool to pressure its opponents. 'Families in socially dangerous situations' are those where children are deprived of necessary care due to parental addiction to alcohol or drugs, or where their lives and health are at risk; however, even in such families, the deprivation of parental rights typically lasts between six months to a year. According to the Belarusian section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, there are now hundreds of families on this list, and if parents are deemed a threat by the regime, the process of depriving parental rights can occur within hours. In March 2023, Lukashenko announced that he would run for president of Belarus again. 'Belarusian interrogators are happy.' Sergey and Irina (pseudonyms for security reasons) were arrested last year for publishing a photo of their participation in the 2020 anti-regime rally and were sentenced to house arrest and forced labor after three months in detention. They say that when they heard from interrogators that their two young children would be sent to an orphanage, they considered this threat a psychological pressure tool, but later realized that their family had been added to the list of 'families in socially dangerous situations' and the process of depriving them of parental rights had begun. At that time, their children were living with their grandparents. After a few months, which the family describes as a 'nightmare period,' they were acquitted by the regime and immediately left Belarus. Sergey tells the Belarusian section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that despite their current safety, his young son still fears and is anxious that his parents might 'disappear' again. 'Kneel and beg.' Alina, who was arrested in 2022 for participating in protests against Lukashenko, says that not only was she constantly under pressure from the threat of losing parental rights, but her ex-husband, who was caring for their daughter, was also facing threats. Alina says that after her release, she was not returned any documents, and therefore could not take her daughter to school or the doctor. She says that the judge who eventually ruled for her documents to be returned conditioned it on her 'kneeling and begging' for acquittal. Currently, Alina lives abroad with her daughter. The report from the Belarusian section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also mentions other instances of 'child extortion,' noting that this practice dates back years. In 2010, the family of Alexander Sannikov, who introduced himself as a rival to Lukashenko during that presidential election, and Irina Halip, a prominent journalist, were threatened that their three-year-old son would be sent to an orphanage, and only Irina's resistance prevented this from happening. In 2020, the six-year-old son of Alena Lazarchik, who was arrested during protests against electoral fraud in Minsk, was sent to an orphanage for two and a half months. According to the report, such cases have increased since then. Belarus held its sixth presidential election in its modern history in 2020. The legitimacy of the elections in this country has always been disputed, but that year, for the first time, Alexander Lukashenko's power was seriously challenged. However, the government announced that Lukashenko, often referred to in the media as 'the last dictator of Europe,' won the election with 80% of the votes. His main rival in this election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, brought her supporters to the streets. Despite the severe crackdown on protests, during which thousands were arrested and dozens were beaten and tortured, large gatherings continued for about a year. According to the human rights organization 'Viasna,' which monitors Belarusian affairs, over 50,000 people have been politically arrested in the country over the past four years. In 2020, the Kremlin assisted Lukashenko's regime in suppressing protesters against electoral fraud. Now, Belarus, alongside China, Iran, and North Korea, is considered one of Russia's main allies in the war against Ukraine. Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for nearly 30 uninterrupted years, denies accusations of suppressing opponents. The new 'election' for the presidency of Belarus is scheduled for January 26 (February 7), six months ahead of the legal deadline. The European Union has preemptively declared the Belarusian government's actions as an 'attempt to stabilize the dictatorial regime' and quoted Lukashenko's opponents as urging people to boycott this 'election' and, if forced to participate in voting, to vote 'against all' candidates.