Posts Tagged ‘Alexander Lukashenko’

Even dictators like human rights awards – the case of Belarus

November 7, 2025

On November 3rd, the Emil Chechko International Charitable Foundation presented the International Human Rights Award — For Peace and Human Rights — for the third time in Minsk. The laureates are people who actively defend human rights and are not afraid to speak the truth about facts hidden behind the facade of ‘European values’.

Who was Emil Czeczko? The foundation granting the award is named after Emil Czeczko, a Polish soldier who deserted the Polish Army in December 2021 while on duty at the Polish-Belarusian border.  After crossing into Belarus, he requested political asylum and gave interviews to Belarusian state media, accusing Polish authorities of crimes against illegal migrants—claims dismissed by Warsaw as propaganda.  Czeczko was later found dead in his apartment in Minsk in 2022, with the official cause of death reported as hanging. [https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-soldier-belarus-asylum-dead/31758266.html]

Among the 2025 laureates are German journalist and supporter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Jürgen Elsässer, Polish political scientist Tomasz Jankowski, Russian State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin, member of the Human Rights Council under the Russian President Eva Merkacheva, member of the European Parliament Grzegorz Braun and others. The list includes eight laureates in total; however, Dmitry Belyakov, the Chairman of the Board of the Emil Chechko International Charitable Foundation, mentioned that the original plan was to present ten awards. Two recipients were unable to attend the ceremony and accept their deserved honours because of border closures. Notably, the names of the nominees were kept secret, even from the nominees themselves, until the last moment for security purposes.

An award recipient who experienced persecution was Jürgen Elsässer, the Editor-in-Chief of Compact, a German opposition magazine. He pursued legal action against the German government for promoting the importance of maintaining peace and aligning with Eastern countries instead of the aggressive West. Fortunately, common sense prevailed, and Elsässer’s editorial team won the lawsuit.

“I appreciate your President’s policies because Aleksandr Lukashenko consistently defends peace and supports friendly relations with Russia and China. I wish Germany would choose a similar approach as well, instead of aligning with the EU, where, as we can see, everyone seems to be ‘intoxicated’ by war,” Jürgen Elsässer admitted.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has taken a swipe at a controversial far-right MEP after he was granted a “peace award” by a Belarusian foundation linked to the regime of Aleksander Lukashenko, the country’s president.

https://www.sb.by/en/emil-chechko-international-human-rights-award-presented-in-minsk.html

https://tvpworld.com/89858963/polands-sikorski-mocks-mep-braun-over-belarusian-peace-award

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Belarus elections : will Tyga front for dictator Lukashenko?

August 7, 2020
The New-York-based Human Rights Foundation has a track record when it comes to pressurising celebrities for endorsing human rights violators [e.g.: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2019/07/18/will-janet-jackson-50-cent-and-tyga-perform-tomorrow-in-jeddah-and-what-will-they-say/]. This time it urges hip-hop artist Tyga to cancela his peformance at a government-sponsored concert in Belarus on August 8.

In 6 August, 2020 HRF’s President sent a letter to the American hip hop artist Tyga pointing  out that his performance is part of a plan to distract from the electoral fraud in the imminent election and prevent protesters from gathering at opposition rallies. The concert is organized and funded by the Belarusian dictatorship, led by Alexander Lukashenko. Under this regime, there is no freedom of speech, no freedom of assembly, and no freedom of association.

“This performance, scheduled for the day before Belarus’ elections, is no coincidence. It is an excuse to cancel the opposition’s final electoral rally, and prevent ordinary Belarusians from showing their support for freedom and democracy,” said HRF president Thor Halvorssen. “It is also a deliberate attempt to turn attention away from the massive electoral fraud that is already taking place across the country.” Belarus’ elections, which haven’t been free or fair since 1994, have been met with extreme repression. As HRF recounted in its letter to the performer: “Protestors are grabbed off the street at random, and many are beaten bloody. The two most popular candidates in the upcoming presidential election, Viktor Babryka and Sergei Tikhanouvsky, were both arrested on trumped up charges. Many opposition activists have had to flee the country, along with their children, after receiving threats from the government.” “Tyga has been an outspoken advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has urged followers to vote in local elections and take to the streets in protest. His support for Lukashenko’s regime will greatly undermine the activism he has encouraged in the United States, and provide the Belarusian dictator a useful propaganda stunt,” said Halvorssen. “We hope he will stand on the side of the people of Belarus as opposed to their oppressor. He must decline the invitation to perform for the dictator.” HRF requested that Tyga cancel his concert and use this media opportunity to send an urgent and categorical message of encouraging support to protestors in Belarus.

Latest: https://belsat.eu/en/news/head-of-presidential-candidate-cherachan-s-campaign-office-detained/

Read the letter in full: https://hrf.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c5e3037cd362a8e29147b750c&id=d46741b1d8&e=f80cec329e> 

For some of my older posts on celebrities see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/star-power/

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Belarusian human rights defenders urge UN to establish office in Minsk and be firm on the question of Bialiatski

October 29, 2013

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) should estabelarusian human rights forumblish a mission in Belarus, the delegates to the Third Belarusian Human Rights Forum, which took place in Vilnius on Saturday and Sunday, say in a statement on 27 October. The delegates also urge the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to take measures to encourage Belarusian authorities to respect human rights. It is necessary for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to preserve its Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus and for all OSCE institutions and bodies, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, to step up cooperation with Belarus’ civil society. The delegates condemn violations of human rights by Belarusian authorities and urge them to abide by international commitments and implement recommendations within the framework of the UN Universal Periodic Review. Authorities should invite all UN special rapporteurs to visit Belarus, above all, the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on Belarus.

Natallia Pinchuk: No concessions to regime

At the same meeting, Ales Bialiatski‘s wife called on the West to be consistent in relation to Belarus. Natallia Pinchuk calls not to close the question of rehabilitation, not to reduce pressure on the Belarusian authorities and not to make concessions until all political prisoners are released, Radio Svaboda reports. “Some human rights defenders began to propose in their articles and speeches to lift demands for the full rehabilitation of political prisoners. They say the regime will never agree on it. But I think we must be consistent first of all. If we began to demand the rehabilitation, we must keep to this position. Secondly, people’s rights remain restricted without rehabilitation. They have only half-freedom,” she said. “We, relatives of the political prisoners, expect firmness and applying all instruments from the European Union and the US. It’s very important that the US and Europe have a concerted approach,” she said. Natallia Pinchuk is sure that her husband, who serves his term in a correctional colony shares her opinion.

via Belarusian human rights defenders urge UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish office in Minsk | Belarus: civil society under attack | Freeales.fidh.net and

http://www.charter97.org/en/news/2013/10/28/78577/

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Vasil Parfiankou sent for forced treatment in Belarus

September 24, 2013

Vasil Parfiankou sent for forced treatment

Former political prisoner Vasil Parfiankou has been placed in medical and labor dispensary No. 1 in the town of Svetlahorsk, after serving five days of arrest in Minsk. The Human Rights Center “Viasna” Read the rest of this entry »

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Detention after solidarity action in Mahiliou, Belarus

August 8, 2013

Social activist Dyiana Yakauleva was detained by the riot police at the police station in Krylenka Street. Human rights defenders Barys Bukhel and Aliaksei Kolchyn are trying to clear up the circumstances of the detention. From 11.30 -12.30  a.m. a solidarity action, timed to coincide with the International Day of Solidarity with the Civil Society of Belarus, was held in the city of Mahiliou, Belarus. During the action, social activists handed out postcards with a portrait of the imprisoned head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski. The protest went peacefully but after it ended Dyiana Yakauleva was detained anyway.

via Detentions after solidarity action in Mahiliou – Charter97 :: News from Belarus – Belarusian News – Republic of Belarus – Minsk.

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