A government that answered votes with violence
The 2020 election exposed the cost of political competition in Belarus. Opaque vote counting and the brutal protest crackdown demand a clear response.
The right to choose a government loses meaning when serious rivals are detained or barred and independent observers cannot scrutinise the count. OSCE/ODIHR could not send a mission to the 9 August 2020 presidential election because it received no timely invitation. It would therefore be wrong to claim that the OSCE verified any candidate's victory. The absence of observation itself demonstrated how closed the process was.
The authorities' response to peaceful protest was even more revealing. Human Rights Watch documented rubber bullets, stun grenades and nearly seven thousand detentions in the first four days, including bystanders. Former detainees described beatings, torture and denial of medical care. The UN later found widespread and systematic human rights violations. A state should protect people seeking an honest count, not make them targets.
We condemn violence and criminal prosecution used to preserve political power. Every allegation of torture needs independent investigation, victims need access to justice, and citizens need freedom of peaceful assembly and elections they can trust. No promise of stability excuses stripping people of dignity and a voice.