Global Voices » Belarus

Belarus: “15+2=17″ - Bloggers React to Executions of Kanavalau and Kavalyou

Veronica Khokhlova — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:58:17 +0000

At TOL's East of Center, Jeremy Druker and Anna Shamanska review and translate some of the reactions from the Belarusian blogosphere to last week's executions of the two young men convicted for the 2011 Minsk subway bombing: “Many Belarussian users on [… Vkontakte …] used pictures of Kavalyou and Kanavalau as their profile, along with the mathematical equation 15+2=17. The 15 stands for the number of victims of the metro bombing and the two for Kanavalau and Kavalyou themselves.”

Belarus: The 2011 Minsk Metro Explosion - A ‘Hall of Mirrors'

Donna Welles — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 23:54:42 +0000

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Vladislav Kovalev and Dmitry Konovalov - the men convicted and sentenced to death for their actions surrounding the April 2011 explosion in a Minsk subway station (GV coverage here and here) - have been executed despite international appeals to Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko for clemency.

Writing for The Telegraph, Andrew Osborn referred to Belarus as ‘Europe's last dictatorship' when he provided details of the explosion, which claimed the lives of 15 people and injured hundreds.

Controversy surrounding the prosecution of Mr. Kovalev and Mr. Konovalov takes on two major themes - 1) The existence of the death penalty, as Belarus is the only European nation that still executes prisoners, and 2) the integrity of the prosecution of these men.

Just days after the explosion, The Economist posted in its blog a variety of theories about who could have been responsible:

In other countries, the finger of suspicion for the latest bomb would point immediately to Islamist terrorists. But they seem a highly unlikely culprit. Belarus has stayed clear of Russia's war in Chechnya, so attracts no jihadist ire for that. […]

It is hard to see why anyone in the mainstream opposition would be behind the outrage. It does not destabilise the regime. It would carry huge risks to the perpetrators. And it would be completely out of character. […]

A slighly more plausible candidate would be an extremist movement. Belarus has no real tradition of political radicalism. Russia has skinheads, persecutors of ethnic minorities and even neo-Nazis (puzzling: do they think they are übermenschen or untermenschen?). Such groups have minor offshoots in Belarus. Perhaps one such is showing off its abilities, for purposes of its own.

A Belarusian outfit called the “White Legion” was linked to the 2008 bombings and may have had a hand in two earlier explosions in 2005. But nobody knows much about it. Some even doubt it exists. […]

Splits within the regime are a possibility. The arrest in December 2010 of Igor Azarenok, the air-force chief, remains a mystery, and may be resented by his friends. Some analysts posit the existence of rival factions of “young wolves” and “old wolves” (the former friends of Mr Lukashenka's son Viktar, the others old KGB men).

Another analysis involves a hardline faction determined to push Belarus further towards autocracy and away from the West. […]

Such secret internal machinations can of course explain almost anything. But it would be nice to have some evidence. In this case little exists.

The post concluded by emphasizing that no real evidence had been produced, as it likened the case to a ‘hall of mirrors':

The result is a hall of mirrors: did the authorities let off a bomb hoping to discredit the opposition? Or did the opposition do it in the belief that the authorities would take the blame? Or was it the Russians, for some conspiracy theorists the all-purpose malefactors? Did the regime do it in order to highlight the threat from “extremists”, or in the hope of pinning blame on outsiders? Or was it NATO: after all, the wicked Westerners have bombed Libya, so why not Belarus? The explanations become steadily more absurd and inconclusive.

The only hard fact so far is that the bombing was a professional job, callously executed. Mr Lukashenka took his usual fatherly line, attending the scene of the blast with his six-year-old son (his companion in almost all public appearances).

In November 2011, Death Penalty Blog quoted an article found in the Independent, which illuminated the controversy surrounding the investigation into Mr. Konovalov and Mr. Kovalyov:

Police quickly arrested Konovalov and Kovalyov, however, and the former confessed to making the bomb and detonating it, while the latter admitted he knew his friend's plans and did nothing to stop him. The pair also admitted to a number of smaller attacks. Konovalov said that he carried out the attacks “to destabilise the situation in the Republic of Belarus” and because he disagreed with Mr Lukashenko's policies, but the bizarrely stilted admission, which mirrors an official legal definition, left many suspicious, as did the fact that Konovalov appeared to be entirely apolitical.

During the two-month trial, Kovalyov has said he only implicated his friend after being pressured by investigators, and Konovalov has said nothing. Besides the confessions, the prosecutors have offered little substantial evidence against the two men.

Although the verdict has not yet been delivered, Mr Lukashenko has already publicly rewarded officials for solving the case, and state-controlled media have frequently referred to the two men on trial as “terrorists”.

Mr. Kovalyov's mother took an active role in public efforts to exonerate her son. Through Change.org, she set up a multi-lingual online form enabling netizens to petition a variety of European foreign affairs officials:

I am writing you on behalf of Lyubou Kavalyova, a mother of Uladzislau Kavalyou. On November 30th, her son together with Dzmitry Kanavalau was convicted to the death penalty by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus. […]

I joined this campaign, because I believe the two men cannot be sent to death, until they are proven guilty. […]

I am writing you also on behalf of Belarusian and international human rights groups and many victims of the attack, who say the trial is unjust and that the Supreme Court has made a mistake sentencing the two men to death. […]

Thus, I am writing to you to ask only two things: please take a stand on this issue publicly, please condemn the death penalty in Belarus. Please write to the Belarusian authorities and demand not to execute Uladzislau Kavalyou and Dzmitry Kanavalau, but instead to start a new investigation! […]

Petitioners left comments explaining why they felt moved to take action in defense of these young men.

Olga Nikonova [ru]:

They aren't guilty!!!! The presumption of innocence states - a man is innocent until proven guilty in a court. The court hasn't provided evidence!!!! […]

Iryna Lysenko [ru]:

I'm against the death penalty. History is full of situations where innocent people were executed. This case might be one of them. It must not be allowed to happen!

Dzmitry Shymkin [en]:

Everybody knows that this process is farce and everybody knows who is real organizator of that murder.

Voice of America Blog announced on November 30 that the death penalty had been handed down and that international human rights groups continued to call into question the legitimacy of the investigation:

The judge said Wednesday that Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov present an extreme danger to society and thus require the ultimate punishment — death by execution. […]

Rights activists had called on authorities in the former Soviet republic not to impose the death sentence. An Amnesty International researcher expressed shock at, in her words, the “cynicism” of the judgment.

Amnesty says it has concerns about the investigation, namely the speed with which the case was announced resolved and that the two suspects confessed to not only masterminding the April metro bombing but others as well.

Voices of Russia Blog published a letter to the editor a few days later entitled “Apparently, the West is Against Terrorism Only When it Suits its Own Agenda,” which supported the prosecution of Mr. Konovalov and Mr. Kovalyov:

Apparently, the West’s against terrorism only when it suits its own agenda. Despite the overwhelming physical and circumstantial evidence against the Minsk Metro Bombers, including a video tape of one of the perps planting the bomb, the Western media’s already screaming that the trial was unfair. They’re even stating that the Byelorussian government planted the bomb in order to create a situation of fear. At this point, I believe it’s a waste of time even answering the anti-Belarus and anti-Lukashenko ravings in the West. No matter what we say, no matter what evidence we present, they’ll continue to demonise Belarus and President Lukashenko. […]

In recent days there have been unverified reports that one or both men have already been executed. RT.com reported that Mr. Kovalev’s family received a letter signed by the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court stating that their son had been shot on March 15. What is certain is that if these men have been executed, their families received no advance warning.

Belarus: Running for Office or Not

Vilhelm Konnander — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:19:13 +0000

Sergei Balykin at Belorusski Partizan discusses [ru] the pros and cons of running for public office in the authoritarian regime of Lukashenko's Belarus, based on his own campaign experience from local elections in the Minsk region.

Belarus-Poland: Ex Presidential Candidate Arrested in Warzaw

Vilhelm Konnander — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:55:50 +0000

According to LJ user artem_ablozhei [ru], former Belarus presidential candidate Ales Michalevic earlier today was arrested at Warzaw airport by Polish police acting on an extradition request by Belarus authorities.

Belarus: Petition to Halt Execution of Minsk Subway Blast Convicts

Veronica Khokhlova — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:27:30 +0000

Over 18,000 people have already signed the “Innocent until proven guilty! 15 days left to stop the Belarussian executions” petition, posted on The Petition Site, demanding to halt the Nov. 30 executions of two Belarusian men, Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou, who were found guilty of the April 11 explosion on the Minsk subway (GV's Apr. 12 texts are here and here).

Russia: Drug Control Service Goes After a Blogger Who Commented on Steve Jobs Taking Drugs

Alexey Sidorenko — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:11:40 +0000

Russian Drug Control Service had approached Habrahabr.ru, a popular IT-portal, and demanded [ru] personal data of the Belarus-based staff-writer Alizar [ru]. He is accused of drug propaganda in his post [ru] which speculates on Steve Jobs' innovativity, marijuana and LSD, and the governments' policies towards light drugs, citing Time magazine, the New York Times, etc. Alizar is one of the most prolific writers at Habrahabr and had sometimes covered political topics. The portal representative tweeted [ru] that they will not disclose the data without a court order.

Russia: Success of National Wrestling System Explained

Donna Welles — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:51:16 +0000

Russian wrestlers are often considered to be the best in the world. Citizen media suggest that a possible explanation for this is the relationship between politics and wrestling in Russia as exemplified by Alexander Karelin. Mr. Karelin was an elite Russian wrestler and Olympian and is now an elected official who serves on the Russian Duma's Committee on International Affairs.

Vladimir Anoshenko was a Belarusian National Champion wrestler as well as an American university wrestling coach. He discussed in an entry from last year on his blog why the Russian team is so effective:

2010 was again a successful year for Russian wrestlers. They dominated in all big international competitions. Many people in the international wrestling community (particularly in the U.S.) are trying to figure out the success of the Russian Wrestling System. My opinion of why Russia dominates is that the system is built on deep wrestling traditions with tremendous financial and political support.

Vladimir went on to discuss how American wrestlers start at a younger age and practice more intensely - and thus get burned out before they are able to compete at the international level. By contrast, Russian wrestlers start a little older - between the ages of 10-13. They participate in fewer tournaments and practice for shorter amounts of time per day, instead focus more on their technique, while Americans focus on conditioning.

Later in the post Vladimir Anoshenko introduces the relationship between Russian wrestling and Russian politics:

In Russia, big bonuses and incentives are good motivation to wrestle. Usually all of the best wrestlers are provided with career opportunities by government or businesses. While athletes wrestle or they finish their sport career they know they will have a good job. This is very important for the Russian Wrestling System.

In U.S., wrestlers don't have opportunities like this. Only a few can afford to wrestle 10-15 yrs. at the senior level. The U.S. can beat Russia in wrestling some years. But to dominate the World constantly, the U.S. has to create a wrestling system that is better or at least competitive to the Russian Wrestling System.

Alexander Karelin fits exactly the profile Vladimir Anoshenko described, as illustrated by Mr. Karelin's MySpace blog from 2007. Although he joined the United Russia party and was elected to the State Duma in 1999, he did not officially retire from wrestling until after the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

• Jan 5, 2007
Chronology
..> ..>
1967 Born September 19 in Novobirsk, Siberia
1980 Takes up wrestling at age 13
1988 Wins Olympic gold medal in Seoul, South Korea; also wins European Championship
1989-91, 1993-95, 1998-99 Wins European and World Championships
1992 Wins Olympic gold medal in Barcelona, Spain; also wins European Championship
1996 Wins Olympic gold medal in Atlanta, Georgia; also wins European Championship
1997 Wins World Championship
1999 Elected to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament
2000 Wins European Championship
2000 Wins Olympic silver medal in Sydney, Australia; also wins European Championship
2000 Retires from wrestling

BlogSochi.ru, a blog pertaining to the Winter Olympic Games which will be held in Russia in 2014, shared a video of an interview with Alexander Karelin. He is introduced as an “Olympic Champion” but in the interview his persona reflects more his current role as a state official when discussing the efforts put forth to preparing the city for the Olympics.

Aldar Balzhinimaev jogs a victory lap with the Russian Federation flag in celebration of his gold medal win at the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games, 46kg freestyle wrestling event, Singapore. Photo by Ray Shiu, copyright © Demotix (17/08/2010)

Alexander Karelin is a wrestler from the past, but other citizen media outlets capture current and future Russian wrestlers.

CompoundWrestling.com posted a video of the 2011 Russian National Championships, which were held in Yakutia over the summer. The author described the video:

Notice all the different angles and methods being used to attack, shucks, fakes, snaps all accompanied by great footwork and position.

The Moscow-based radio station, Voice of Russia, announced on Twitter the results of the Youth World Sambo Wrestling Championships:

Russia reaps gold in sambo wrestling: Russian boys have won 16 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze medals at a youth world championship bit.ly/pSBniV

Perhaps one of those boys is the next Alexander Karelin in the making.

Russia: Prosecutor General Calls For Control Over Social Networks

Alexey Sidorenko — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:37:59 +0000

“You saw what had happened in London. To my mind, it is evident that there should be control over this [social network] activity, and I think it will be a reasonable control, in the interest of protection of the civic liberties,” said Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika at the summit of the CIS prosecutor coordination summit, lenta.ru reported [ru]. Prosecutors of Kazakhstan and Belarus had supported the statement.

Lithuania-Belarus: Banks Help Prosecute Opposition Activist

Vilhelm Konnander — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:50:18 +0000

Albatros of Litauen blog discusses [ger] how Lithuanian banks and authorities have delivered information on bank accounts of Belarusan opposition groups, which has led to the prosecution of Viasna activist Ales Belyatsky for tax evasion.

Belarus: Interpreting the Law on Freedom of Assembly

Vilhelm Konnander — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:10:41 +0000

LJ user gabblgob lets [ru] a lawyer friend, LJ user redrok, take a look at the legal implications of changes in Belarus law on freedom of assembly, which are in stark contrast with the conventional meaning of the term.

Belarus: Almost 30% of Belarusans Get Lower Salary Than Moldovans

Vilhelm Konnander — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:38:04 +0000

LJ user Pavel Kuznetsov points to [ru] recent statistics showing that almost 30% of employees in Belarus earn less than in Moldova - the poorest country in Europe.

Belarus: Schengen Visa=Guilty

Veronica Khokhlova — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:04:29 +0000

Pyotr Kuznetsov mentions [ru] a Belarusian police officer who interpreted a Schengen visa in the passport of one of the women detained at a protest rally as a solid proof that she was not a law-abiding citizen. He said this to a colleague who used to know the woman and was having doubts about the legality of her arrest: “Have you seen her passport?! She's got a Schengen! Me, I don't have a Schengen!” (More on the EU-Belarus relations, in this recent GV text by Vilhelm Konnander.)

Belarus: Overview of Political and Economic Situation

Veronica Khokhlova — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:49:14 +0000

An overview of the political and economic situation in Belarus - by Natalia Leshchenko at OpenDemocracy.net.

Belarus: East and West and Nothing in Between?

Vilhelm Konnander — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:27:03 +0000

“East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” This chronically misused Kipling phrase seems to catch realities for an increasing number of Belarusians, as recent protests and crises have become a rude awakening from the torpor of the last Soviet “sleeping beauty.” Waking to a wild and hostile world, many people now start asking: “Who cares about Belarus?”

Coverage found in the Western media of the recent developments in Belarus largely follows the general pattern of repression, with a few opposition activists highlighted, but still with little added to the familiar story. It is true that the economic crisis that has recently hit the country and Russia's gradual takeover of Belarus' economy have added spice to the stew, whilst the ultimate news would be the ousting of President Lukashenko.

Every year on March 25, Belarusian opposition leaders and activists hold public actions to mark Freedom Day, which is not an officially recognised holiday. Image by Ivan Uralsky, copyright Demotix (25/03/2010).

Until that day, though, Belarus seems deemed to remain in limbo between East and West. Or would Lukashenko or no Lukashenko really make a difference? An increasing number of voices in Belarus say that the limbo will linger on, and Belarus is bound to remain in a grey zone between East and West.

Thus, LiveJournal user by_volunteer complains [ru] that the country's economy is sold out to Russia, whereas Europe has enough problems of her own to trouble to care:

Беларусь пошла с молотка и это очевидный конец. Руководство Беларуси заключило сделку и тихонько распродаёт страну, в расчёте на политическое убежище, все наши ура-патриоты спокойно на это смотрят. Основные предприятия страны переходят в собственность к России, это российские капиталовложения в нашу собственность. Как можно это допустить и как может ЕС так спокойно упускать свои перспективы на будущее в Беларуси?! Это же полный провал европейской политики, тем более в ЕС нарастает огромный финансовый кризис, европейский бизнес девать просто некуда. Это немощный инфантилизм и позор, нельзя допускать завершения сделки с Россией, это огромная ошибка, нужно срочно принимать меры!

Belarus went under [the auctioneer's] hammer and it was a foregone conclusion. The leaders of Belarus made a deal and are quietly selling off the country, counting on political asylum, and all our hooray-patriots calmly look at it. The main enterprises of the country are becoming Russian property. It is a Russian investment in our property. How can this be allowed, and how can the EU so calmly give up on its views on Belarus?! It is simply a total collapse of European policy, especially as an enourmous financial crisis is brewing in the EU, and European business simply has nowhere to turn. It is powerless infantilism and a shame. Оne cannot allow dealing with Russia. It's a big mistake, and urgent action is needed!

But where is Europe, and where is justice? Feelings of abandonment and, for all appearances, being treated unfairly are obviously spreading, adding to a sense of general disappointment and hopelessness in everyday life and in hopes for the future. Writing about a denial of an EU-Schengen visa for her son, a mother laments [ru] over how she feels people from Belarus are regarded:

Нет правды в Беларуси. Десятки лет мы получаем лживую информацию, слышим безответственные обещания, видим потемкинские деревни. Наелись. Все цивилизованные страны единодушны в оценке и называют такое поведение властей издевательством над народом. Но как оценить издевательство над многострадальными гражданами посольств этих цивилизованных стран, когда после заявлений о смягчении визовых режимов для белорусов, отказывают в визе даже тем белорусам, которые по всем критериям очень даже выездные. [—] Мой сын закончил третий курс университета. Хотел съездить во Францию по частному приглашению. Получил отказ. Поскольку ничего плохого за ним никогда не водилось, единственной причиной отказа считаю административный арест 19 декабря на 15 суток. Он проходит по спискам и, скорее всего, поэтому посольство Франции ответило: «У нас нет уверенности, что вы покинете страну по истечению срока визы». Интересно получается. Два списка фигурируют для запрета въезда в Евросоюз: официальный - список чиновников и неофициальный список задержанных. [—] И стало, знаете, очень обидно. И очень одиноко. И за демократию бьют по голове, и демократия бьет по голове. И никому мы не нужны. Ладно бы не нужны – и на порог не пускают. А главное, никакими демократическими процедурами это решение не оспорить. Где справедливость, где права человека, какие гаагские суды рассматривают отказы в выдаче визы? Какие правозащитные организации защищают таких людей? А главное, отличается ли белорусская судья, превентивно выносящая приговор за несовершенное правонарушение, от французского чиновника, отказывающего в визе за несостоявшийся невозврат?

There is no truth in Belarus. For decades, we have been getting a pack of lies, listening to irresponsible promises, seeing the Potemkin villages. We are fed up with it. All civilized countries unite in their judgment and name such conduct of power a mockery with the people. But how is such mockery with the long-suffering citizens valued by embassies of these civilized countries, when - after declarations of a softened visa regime for Belarusians - visas are denied even to those Belarusans who really by all criteria are liable for them. [—] My son finished his third year at university, and wanted to go to France on a private invitation. He got a rejection [to his visa application]. As he has never been up to anything bad, the only reason for rejection, I think, is the administrative [post-election protest-related] arrest on December 19 for 15 days. He is on the lists, and therefore, supposedly, the French Embassy replied: «We don't know if you leave the country after your visa expires». It all becomes interesting. There appears to be two lists for denial of entry to the European Union: An official - the bureaucrats' list - and an unofficial list of those who had been arrested. [—] And then, you know, it becomes really hurtful. And very lonely. Getting hit on the head for democracy, and then getting hit on the head by democracy. Nobody needs us. It's okay if we are not needed, and not let over the threshold. But the main thing is that there are no democratic procedures by which to appeal this decision. Where is justice, where are human rights, which Hague courts review the denials of visas? What civil rights organizations defend these people? And above all, does a Belarusian judge, who preventively passes verdict for a crime not committed, differ from a French bureaucrat, who denies a visa for a non-return that has not taken place?

Touching on the classical Tolstoian question of the evil inside us all and the need to come to terms with it, LJ user dolka777 asks [ru] how people allowed the Lukashenko regime to develop:

Как мы вскормили диктатора. Это вопрос, который я себе задаю постоянно. Мучительно вспоминаю, как и когда я сама впустила в себя эту диктатуру. Свято верю, что в каждой судьбе должен быть такой момент, когда ты соглашаешься со злом только потому, что твой двоюродный брат работает в КГБ и он – клевый парень, а тебе не хочется его обижать. Или хвастаешься другом, который парится в парилке с личным сантехником Его Величества. Шугаешься коллег или сокурсников, которые связаны с оппозицией. Думаю, что здесь, в бай-политикс собрались те, которые, возможно, ничего такого не делали. Но все же. [—] И теперь вопрос каждому: что ты лично сделал для того, чтобы в Беларуси воцарился диктатор?

How did we nourish a dictator? It's a question I ask myself all the time. It is painful to remember how and when I, myself, let this dictatorship in. I sincerely believe that in every destiny there has to be such a moment when you consent to evil only because your cousin works for the KGB, and he is a cool guy and you don't want to hurt his feelings. Or you boast about a friend who has steamed in the same sauna as His Highness. You vilify those colleagues or classmates who are connected with the opposition. I believe that here, in the .by-politics, those have gathered who perhaps did nothing like this. But still. And now a question to each and everyone: What have you personally done so that a dictator could reign in Belarus?

So, as the shrill voices of Lukashenko loyalists and opposition activists reach crescendo, perhaps there are weaker voices wondering why they cannot simply be allowed to be here, “tuteishi”, and lead a normal life between Russia and Europe.

Kipling's famous poem on East and West has a less-known ending: “But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!”

So, even if Russia and Europe, as two strong men, would learn to respect each other, where would that leave Belarus but in a grey zone? Perhaps, for many Belarusians, East is East and West is West, and there is no place for the rest, living in between.

Belarus: Vkontakte Social Network Blocked by the Providers

Alexey Sidorenko — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:26:16 +0000

Update: Access to the Vkontake site is now restored. Vkontakte, Russian social network, is unavailable for Belarus Internet Users. The network hosts “Revolution Through the Social Network” [ru] group used to organize non-violent protests, telegraf.by reported [ru]. Individual Belarus-based users told GV that the page loads only header but the rest of Vkontakte is not accessible. Interfax.by claims [ru], however, that in their office, the page opens freely.