Visa-free regime to Belarus can be expanded next year

         In the end of this year the Belarusian government will analyze the effects of the five days visa-free regime for the citizens of 80 states. It was implemented last February. There are aspirations to expand the visa-free visit till 10 or 30 days. Current visa-free regime applies only to the visitors who arrive to the Minsk International Airport. In the future plans there might be an option of land border crossing. Most probably next year there will be possible to visit Belarus without visa for 10 days. For the citizens of China it could be expanded up to 30 days.

Visa free travel to Belarus

             For those who is willing to visit Belarus without visa there is a three ways of doing it. The first option is a five days visa free visit if you travel to the International airport in Minsk. If you choose this way of visiting, you can travel all around Belarus not more than five days. The second option is the three days visa free trip to Grodno and the Augustów Canal by crossing the Polish-Belarusian border by car or by bus. Unfortunately, if you want to go by train, you need to have a valid visa. The third option is to make three days visa free visit to Bialowieza Forest crossing the border by foot or by bike. The last two options require a prior to visit registration and a hotel booking.

Belarusian Freedom Day: violation of human rights and freedoms again

            On the 25th of March Belarusians celebrate the day of the creation of Belarusian People’s Republic (Dzien Voli) in 1918. For many years of Lukashenko’s regime Belarusians were protesting peacefully to commemorate this important day in the history. This year the social protests against the tax for unemployed occurred before Dzien Voli. Those protests were crowded and occurred mainly in the regions where the unemployment rate has been dramatically increasing. Authorities got scared that it could be a massive gathering of people in the capital, therefore it performed the preventive arrests of leaders of opposition, journalists and activists. More than 300 people were detained before March 25: police entered their homes taking away people and confiscating their belongings. Much more people were arrested on March 25. All together there have been more than 1000 people detained. People were caught on the way to the protest, pushed to the  vehicles and taken away, beaten up. 

             If the social protesters merged with political protesters, it would be hard to stop such quantity of people. And the authorities know that.

(c) Radio Svaboda

The Union State of Russia and Belarus: time to separate?

              Russia has established a border area with its partner of the Union – Belarus. Allegedly it has to do with the “necessary security of the boarder control of the Russian Federation”.  However, it is not the first time when Russia makes steps that show that not everything is smooth and harmonized in this Union. Last year Russian government have forbidden a transit of foreign passengers to Russia via Belarus. Also Belarusian citizens’ passports are being checked in the Russian airports that was not a case before. Belarus pays these costs for being not obedient to Russia. If you want be a master, you have to take care of you dependant, if you do not have resources, be ready that a dependant will look for another master.

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Jews from Belarus and Ukraine

   Today is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day in 1945 the Auschwitz Concentration Camp was liberated by Soviet Army. More than a million people were killed in the death camp. Initially it was directed to Polish political prisoners, then Jewish question was moved along, then Roma and Sinti. Before the World War II two-third of Jewish population in Europe lived in Poland and Eastern Europe (Western Belarus and Western Ukraine). The population of towns in these parts of Belarus and Ukraine consisted from around 40% of Jews. After the war the numbers decreased dramatically. We should always remember it and these tragic facts cannot be denied. As the fact that other human slaughtering is happening nowadays. There are things in this world that have a special meaning for entire mankind and genocide is the biggest of them.

Aushwitz

Belarus opens doors for tourists - visa free regime

    Yesterday Belarusians welcomed a new decree on the visa free entrance for the foreign visitors to Belarus. New decree was anticipated already in September 2016 when the five-days visit to Augustow Canal was introduced. Before visa free regime was established only on the Belarusian site of Bialowieza Forest to where foreign visitors could come crossing the Polish-Belarusian boarder in the forest. From now on the citizens of 80 countries (incl. EU, USA, Japan, Australia and Canada) are able to visit Belarus for five days without a visa with the condition of arriving to the Minsk International Airport. Such possibility does not spread on transit visitors travelling to or from Russia. Finally foreign visitors are able to discover and enjoy the natural beauty of Belarus without additional obstacles.

Bialowieza Forest

Belarus to tax unemployed

                 The most goofy deсree against „social parasites” is getting more active in Belarus. This remedy has been created to “prevent” social dependency of a Belarusian citizen on a state. Currently, all unemployed people are obliged to pay the tax of unemployment. It concerns also people who are not searching for a job – e.g. housewives.  Belarus is not welfare state, and an unemployed person does not receive a financial support from the state so he could pay his rent, bill and food. However, the government states that unemployed people use the state infrastructure. It is a mystery where an unemployed person could find a money to pay a tax, if he does not have an income?

Bialowieza forest in France

             It was a big pleasure and great experience to present our project “Bialowieza forest – European natural heritage” in Nantes, France last week. Besides the opportunity to explain the importance of the oldest forest in Europe and to show pictures of amazing nature and animals to the participants of the forum, we have received a great feedback! Radio of Nantes broadcasted the interview with me and my project partner last Friday and I hope people from Brittany discovered Bialowieza forest as their next tourist destination. Early next year we will confirm the project implementation and its form more precise: it will be an art installations inspired by Bialowieza and a workshop with an expert from Belarus in Warsaw. We will be grateful for any additional support!

   

Belarus: homo sovieticus mindset still wins

              While Belarus tries its best to improve its cooperation with West - what is a very rational step, subconsciously it is still on the other side of iron curtain. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, stated that Belarus would like to have good neighbourhood relations with its partners from West like the EU and other geopolitical enemies like US and China. The Minister probably meant “players” but the homo sovieticus mindset did not want to give up so easily. In the psychoanalysis it is called a Freudian slip, but how is it called in the politics?

Belarus in focus: event at the Lew Kopelew Forum

            Yesterday I had an amazing opportunity to speak about the situation in Belarus at the Lew Kopelew Forum in Cologne, Germany. Besides such interesting topics as a recent shift in the Belarusian foreign policy, I spoke about the role of elections (Presidential and Parliamentary) in the authoritarian regime. The position of the civil society in Belarus, Russian influence, Belarusization were hot topics for discussion. I was so grateful to the public for very interesting, at the same time challenging questions and comments! There was not enough time to cover all aspects of the situation in Belarus and I am looking forward to receiving more invitations.

Belarus looks for new friends: USA

             Last week,  the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, visited USA. The goal of his visit was to establish peaceful relations with US. It goes as a big contrast to the events of 2008: belarusian government requested to significantly limit the number of employees in the US Embassy people and the US Ambassador, Karen Stewart, was recalled to Washington. There is a chance that US Embassy will start operating soon with an US Ambassador to Belarus. Belarusian government realises that Russia is not a reliable partner anymore. There is a necessity to find other sources of financial support in the face of deep economic crisis.

The road of death. Kuropaty.

The horrible secrets of the Kuropaty mass grave located in Minsk started to be discovered in 1988. The mass murders of political prisoners by Soviet secret police have been not yet very known by Belarusians. There were from 80 000 till 250 000 people executed there during 1938 – 1941. The remains of different class, ethnic and religions groups of victims were found there. Many remains being the main evidence of the crimes were removed during the “cleansing” in 50th. There are also assumption that victims of Katyn massacre (1940) were hidden in Kuropaty. That great tragedy of so many victims is still not acknowledged on the state level.

Elections in Belarus have not met OSCE requirements

                The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has deployed its election mission to Belarus on August 2 after receiving an invitation of the respective government. The Parliamentary Elections took place on September 11. On the press-conference the OSCE officials announced that despite efficiently Parliamentary election organization in Belarus, unfortunately, hardly any of previous OSCE recommendation has been fulfilled. There were several major remarks including the invisibility of campaign, ambiguity in assuring election process in appliance with OSCE standards by the constitutional and legal framework. There are restrictions on freedom of association and the media are restricted in its freedom of expression. 

Belarusian law targets Skype and Viber

             New decree allows Belarusian operators to block or stop the telecommunication and IP-traffic. Skype has already an agreement with the operators and there should not be any problem for its users. However, other messengers like Viber could not work if a person will try to use it in order to call to the landline or mobile phone (Viber Out). Using the messengers for the communication inside an application (ex. call from Viber to Viber) should not meet any obstacles. How exactly operators will use this change, clients of Skype and Viber will check after the decree comes into force on September 18, 2016. 

To Belarus without visa

              The possibility of developing tourism in Belarus is growing. Until recently, a visa free movement was allowed only in Bialowierza forest, where foreigners did not need a visa for up to three days. Now the same system applies to the Augustow Canal, close to the one of the biggest Belarusian cities – Grodno. Foreigners can spend up to five days there without visa. However, the tendency of welcoming tourists might expand. There is a possibility that in a couple of months citizens of eighty countries could come to Belarus without visa. The only condition would be that they arrive at Minsk airport. 

   

Bialowierza Forest

Belarusian teacher is a new bureaucrat?

                 The education system in Belarus is getting more and more bureaucratic. Teachers in schools receive instructions from the Ministry of Education that looks good in theory, but cannot be applied in practice. The focus is on following instructions, but not on the content and quality of the knowledge. It seems like the new methodology has been developed without consideration of the human factors of teacher and students. Furthermore, teachers are asked to take care of the quality of the class room, its renovation, pay attention if the furniture complies with new laws, and is in line with new instructions.

               Is there any time left to teach students?

Pavel Sheremet: life that won't be replaced

            Recently, Belarusians were remembering the disappearance of the journalist Dmitry Zavadky in 2000. Sixteen years later there is still no evidence, no track of finding out what had happened to him. Today shocking news about death of  the Belarusian journalist, Pavel Sheremet, strengthen the acknowledgement of dangerous position of independent media and journalists in particular. Pavel Sheremet was killed by explosion of his car this morning in Kyiv. Ukrainian General Prosecutor states that it was a murder. Will this time justice find its way by exposing a perpetrator? There is always hope for good, nevertheless today Belarus and the region lost its prominent journalist. 

Source: charter97.org

Politics and environment

Where ends the government and starts the country? In Belarus these two dimensions are two very different things. It seems like the untrue actions of government shades a true beauty of Belarusian nature.  Because of a constant focus on political and economical situation in Belarus, people forget that Belarus possesses the most beautiful and oldest forests in Europe. These forests are the “lungs” of Europe. Due to a media noise people do not know that Belarus is called “blue eyed” because of thousands of lakes on its territory. To remember about our natural heritage and protect it, if the government does not do it, this should be done by each of us. 

Lake created in chalk quarry

What is Chernobyl today?

               Today is the 30th anniversary of the biggest anthropogenic catastrophe in the history of human kind. The Chernobyl disaster took place on the 26 April 1986. When I was growing up in Belarus the notion of ‘Children of Chernobyl’ accompanied us. We grew up acknowledging the catastrophe, however we still do not know how it has changed us. For the current Belarusian government the problem of Chernobyl does not exist. It ignores the disaster, its ‘Children of Chernobyl’ and the millions of people affected by the catastrophe. How many more lives, diseases and years should Belarusians pay to know the truth?

Of two evils choose the lesser

Everyone knows the usefulness of “carrot and stick” politics. However, sometimes neither carrot nor stick brings visible results. On the 15^th February Belarusian government got a carrot one more time. After the 4 moths suspension the European Union has lift sanctions against 170 Belarusian individuals including the president, A. Lukashenko, permanently. What was the reason of such a weighty decision? Human rights are still abused. There was no transparency during the presidential elections. Belarusian opposition insists on the sanction maintenance. But the real answer is somewhere else. It is in Russia.