Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström announced the appointment of a special envoy to Belarus’ exiled democratic forces on Nov. 6.
The position was given to Christina Johannesson, Sweden’s former ambassador to Belarus.
The envoy’s responsibilities will include “relations with Belarusians in exile, cooperation with the democratic forces, and strengthening international ties.”
“Once Sweden takes over the coordination of the Nordic-Baltic Eight next year, it will make Belarus one of its priorities and will support discussions on Belarus at the EU ministerial meetings in Brussels in January 2024,” Billström said at a meeting with exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Sweden joined France, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland in appointing special representatives for relations with Belarus’ democratic forces.
According to Tsikhanouskaya, she and Billström also discussed issuing alternative passports to Belarusians in Sweden, an endeavor undertaken by Belarusian democratic forces in an attempt to counter Lukashenko’s growing crackdown on those who oppose his regime.
As of September, Belarusians can only obtain or renew their passports in Belarus, a move condemned by the international community, including the United Nations.
Tsikhanouskaya and Billström also discussed support for rehabilitation programs for political prisoners coming from Belarus.
Rule of Law Index ranks Belarus lowest in Europe
Belarus ranked 104th out of 142 countries, and the lowest in Europe, in the 2023 World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index.
The index assesses a range of factors, including the degree of corruption, transparency, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, criminal justice, and constraints on government powers.
Belarus’ lowest score was 0.26 out of 1.0 for constraints on government powers, or the extent to which those who govern are bound by law.
Belarus’ 2023 score represented a 54-point drop from 2015 when it ranked 50th out of 102 countries.
Dubbed the “last dictatorship in Europe,” the rule of law in Belarus suffered a huge hit after the fraudulent presidential election in 2020, which saw Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko tighten his illegitimate grip on the country.
Europe’s most dangerous country for journalists
The Spotlight segment provides readers with the historical context of contemporary events in Belarus.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Belarus incarcerated 34 media workers, making the country one of the most dangerous places for journalists.
Following the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, marked on Nov. 2, the Kyiv Independent brings attention to the dangers of being a journalist in Belarus.
Following the 2020 fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus, and the subsequent crackdown on civil society, the Belarusian Association of Journalists recorded 394 detentions of journalists on duty, with 62 detainees reporting violence and torture during their detention.
Additionally, according to the independent professional association, at least three cases of firearms being used against journalists were reported.
As Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko continued his crackdown on dissent, administrative detentions transformed into criminal proceedings against journalists.
Polish free-to-air Belsat TV journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva (Bakhvalava) and Daria Chultsova, who were live-streaming a protest on Nov. 15, 2020, were detained and accused of participating in the rally and inciting actions that “grossly violated public order.” They were subsequently sentenced to two years in prison each.
While Daria Chultsova has completed her sentence and was released on Sept. 3, 2022, her colleague faced new charges of high treason and was sentenced to an additional eight years of imprisonment.
Katsiaryna Andreyeva is known for her investigation into Belarus’s support of pro-Russian militants in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donbas, which led to the book “Belarusian Donbas,” labeled as extremist. On Nov. 2, Andreyeva celebrated her 30th birthday in detention.
On Nov. 12, 2020, activist Roman Bandarenka died in an emergency hospital in Minsk after being assaulted by law enforcement. His murder resulted in a prison sentence for another journalist.
TUT.BY journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich refuted the allegations of the activist being drunk during the incident based on the medical records.
The journalist and the doctor were accused of disclosure of medical confidentiality and received a six-month and a two-year sentence, respectively.
Ironically, the day before Barysevich was scheduled for release on May 18, 2021, TUT.BY, the largest independent online media in the country, covering 63% of Belarusian internet, was raided and shut down by Belarusian authorities. Thirteen employees were detained.
On Mar. 17, 2023, the outlet’s leadership, CEO Liudmila Chekina, and Chief Editor Maryna Zolatava were charged with tax evasion and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Blogger Raman Pratasievich, who ran Telegram channels that served as a mouthpiece for the 2020 protests, was arrested after a flight from Athens to Vilnius was grounded while crossing Belarusian airspace.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found Belarus guilty of orchestrating the forced landing, confirming that claims of a bomb threat were communicated to the flight crew under the instructions of senior government officials of Belarus.
Reportedly, Pratasievich was forced to testify against himself and sentenced to eight years in prison, only to be “pardoned” two weeks later. His girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, was detained alongside Pratasievich, and received a six-year prison sentence.
She was pardoned in June 2023.
In July 2021, the Belarusian KGB conducted a sweep of the media field under the pretext of identifying participants of “destructive” Telegram chats. This led to 71 searches in editorial offices and journalists’ homes on July 8-9, with a second mass attack on independent media occurring a week after, targeting at least 26 media workers.
In 2023, Belarusian courts recognized approximately 1,500 publications on online platforms, mainly Telegram channels, as “extremist materials.” Furthermore, 18 media outlets were classified as extremist organizations.
The Lukashenko regime criminalized any form of cooperation with independent media.
Darya Losik, the wife of imprisoned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalist Ihar Losik, was arrested after giving an interview to Belsat TV, which was retroactively labeled extremist. She was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of falsely representing herself as the wife of a political prisoner and offering a personal negative assessment of state bodies responsible for criminal prosecution and justice.
Source link : https://kyivindependent.com/belarus-weekly-belarus-ranks-lowest-in-europe-for-rule-of-law/
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Publish date : 2023-11-10 08:00:00
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