Source: Viasna Belarus Human Rights Center in English
Paris-Geneva, February 16, 2021 – Starting early this morning, the Belarusian police, State Security Committee (KGB) officers and members of the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption have been carrying coordinated searches and arrests of human rights defenders and journalists. While the information remains scarce, this is another escalation in the 191 days of violent crackdown on civil society.
Since the early morning of February 16, 2021, at least 25 human rights defenders and journalists across Belarus have seen their houses and offices searched. Many among them have been detained. The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and the Human Rights Centre “Viasna” are amongst the main targets.
Despite facing condemnation and sanctions from Western nations over its crackdown on opposition protests after a disputed election, Belarus is not isolated on the international stage, the country’s most senior diplomat has said.
15.02.2021, 10:29
Photo: Lietuvos Policija
Victims of the Belarusian security forces turn to the law enforcement agencies of the EU countries for help.
In Belarus, in the six months since the beginning of the protests, not a single criminal case has been opened on violence against demonstrators, even though, according to official data, the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus received about 1,800 such statements. Meanwhile, some victims took the opportunity to investigate crimes within the framework of universal jurisdiction and appealed to the law enforcement agencies of the EU countries, Deutsche Welle writes.
Will Lithuania help the injured Belarusians?
Lithuania became the first country to launch an investigation against the Belarusian security forces within the framework of universal jurisdiction. Indeed, an investigation is underway, and at the moment (as of February 9, 2021 - ed.), four people have been recognized as victims, but their number may change,
USA s Secret Service has awarded Bulgarian anti-mafia police officers for their work in counteracting the production and distribution of counterfeit US dollars. The reason for the distinctions is a police operation in which an organized criminal group involved in the preparation and distribution of counterfeit banknotes and fake ID documents was busted in Bulgaria at the end of January, the Interior Ministry announced.During the ceremony, the Director of the General Directorate for Combating Organized.
Irreversible processes started.
The economic problems in Belarus are undermining the stability of the regime, and the blow is going in three directions, political scientist
Vadzim Mazheika writes in an article for the website Our Opinion.
Limited resources for security officials
At the expert-analytical club, economists noted that spending on security officials would be the last to be cut, and
Vadzim Iasub even recalled the joke: Dad, will you drink less? No, son, you will eat less. However, expenses are already being cut: the former investigator and founder of the BYPOL initiative,
Andrei Astapovich, said that the construction of housing was postponed for the Investigative Committee. However, this may be due to the fact that, according to the same Astapovich, during the analysis of signatures for alternative candidates, the KGB were horrified at the percent realizing that this [Investigative Committee] is the most oppositional power structure.