Belarus

SPECIAL REPORT

Civic Mobilization in Belarus: The Case of the 2020 Election

Belarus is an authoritarian state in which elections are openly rigged and civil liberties are severely restricted. In 2020, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who maintains a firm grip over the military and security forces, cracked down on a massive prodemocracy protest movement that was sparked by his reelection in a fraudulent presidential poll. Since then, security forces have violently assaulted and arbitrarily detained journalists and ordinary citizens who challenge the regime. The judiciary and other institutions lack independence and provide no check on Lukashenka’s power.

Freedom on the Net — Belarus Country Report

Belarus is rated Not Free in Freedom on the Net, Freedom House's comprehensive study of internet freedom around the globe.

Volunteers clean up the rubbles from a destroyed residential building in Borodyanka. Following the recapture of Borodyanka by the Ukrainian forces, the city was heavily devastated and turned into ruins under intense fighting and shelling.

Nations in Transit — Belarus Country Report

Belarus is categorized as a Consolidated Authoritarian regime in the Nations in Transit 2023, Freedom House's annual study on the state of democracy in the region stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia.