Fair Play Beyond Sports

 A Freedom House campaign for a Belarus
that is Free and Fair 
 

This is a year of milestones for Belarus.

• Twenty years ago Aliaksandr Lukashenka was elected to his first term as president – the first and last free and fair election in the two decades of his (mis)rule.
• Minsk will host the Ice Hockey World Championship (IHWC) May 9-25, which the government hopes will bring Belarus international attention as well as an influx of tourists.

International attention, however, should focus less on hockey and more on the human rights violations that have earned Belarus an unsought title, “The Last Dictatorship of Europe.” For two decades, Lukashenka’s government has imposed unprecedented limitations on freedoms of speech, association and assembly; hundreds of people have served prison terms on politically motivated charges. Eight political prisoners remain behind bars.

Freedom House launched the Fair Play Beyond Sports campaign to bring attention to the plight of Belarusian citizens, activists and human rights defenders.

Please join our campaign and spread the message! Read the campaign statement by Freedom House and 20 Belarusian and international NGOs.

How can you participate in the campaign?
KNOW MORE	SHOW YOUR SOLIDARITY	SUPPORT FREEDOM ACTIVISTS	MAKE A DONATION
Read about the resilience of Belarusian citizens and civil society	View and share messages of solidarity with Belarusian people via social networks	Write a letter of support to one or all of Belarus' political prisoners Photo Credit: Charter97	Support projects that aid human rights defenders in Belarus Photo Credit: Alexander Mazurkevich
ANALYSIS	VIEW POLITICAL CARTOONS	SHARE POSTERS	PUBLICATIONS
Timeline: 20 Years of Human Rights Abuses Testimony: Unbridled Repression in Belarus Report: Democratic Change in Belarus: A Framework for Action Blog: Do's and Don't's in Belarus	Cartoon 'Las Bulbas' takes a look at repression in Belarus	View and share posters of political prisoners on social media	Freedom in the World 2014: Belarus Freedom of the Press 2014: Belarus (draft) Freedom of the Press 2014: Belarusian Freedom on the Net 2013: Belarus Nations in Transit 2013: Belarus