Belarus: Parliament votes new laws to prevent challenge
Showing "symbols" such as the white-red-white flag is now prohibited.
Here, opposition demonstration on Independence Square in Minsk, August 14, 2020 © REUTERS / Vasily Fedosenkoi
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Belarus, parliament passed new laws to further restrict the freedom to demonstrate.
After months of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, the regime seems to have gained the upper hand.
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With our correspondent in Minsk,
Gulliver Cragg
The amendments voted on Friday essentially only legalize what was already practiced by the police in Belarus.
The ban on the production and display of extremist “symbols” will henceforth be enshrined in law.
The definition of these "symbols" remains unclear, but we immediately think of the colors of the opposition - the white-red-white flag.
For months, showing off these colors has been suspect.
Simply hanging red and white laundry on a balcony can attract police attention.
The latter does not hesitate to stop the supporters of the opposition from their homes.
In October, white-red-white flags still fluttered from windows in Minsk;
This is no longer the case today.
Any attempt to rally is quickly
stifled by the police
, who have
arrested more than 30,000
people since the start of the protest last August.
These new so-called “anti-extremist” laws also strengthen the powers of local prosecutors to dispatch convictions of participants in demonstrations.
According to the US State Department, Belarus currently has 290 political prisoners.
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To read also: Belarus: the opponent in exile Tikhanovskaya tries to bring Lukashenko to the dialogue
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Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko