Freedom March held in Belarus 10 years ago (Photo)

The Freedom March, one of the largest and most significant rallies of the Belarusian opposition, marks its 10th anniversary on October 17.

The Freedom March became history and turned over a new leaf of the Belarusian Resistance. One should take into consideration the conditions, under which the rally was held, to evaluate the significance of the Freedom March as any historical event.

The leaders of the democratic opposition Yury Zakharanka and Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped and killed in 1999. In March 1999, powerful politician and popular opponent of Lukashenka Henadz Karpenka died under mysterious circumstances. Members of the 13th Supreme Council Andrei Klimau, Uladzimir Kudzinau, artist Ales Pushkin and other well-known oppositionists are in prisons. Pressure on independent mass media is increasing. Tightening screws can be noticed in all directions. The pro-fascist Russian National Unity (RNU) is becoming active and strong. With the connivance and support of the authorities, neo-Nazi groups are attacking democrats. Some militia departments and RNU members are patrolling streets together.

The five-year term of office of Alyaksandr Lukashenka expires on July 21, 1999. His further staying in power is unlawful. However, an attempt of the opposition to carry out alternative presidential elections failed.

Nothing seems to stop further physical elimination of the opponents of the regime, conducted according to scenarios of Latin American “death squadrons”. The political opposition is split and scared, democratic, democratic activists don’t believe in their power...

In this situation dozens of thousands of people taking to Minsk streets came as a surprise. The most protectors were the youth. Participants of the Freedom March unfurl 30-meter white-red-white flag and a EU flag. The slogans of the March are “Freedom to Political Prisoners!”, “No to Dictatroship!”, “Belarus to Europe!”. Several-thousand crowd marched through the city, exploding the myth about weakness of the opposition.

The March ended with clashes with riot militia. Dozens of participants were arrested, a criminal case was instigated against the organizers of the peaceful rally. The European Union, OSCE and a number of western countries condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators and said the clashes had been provoked by the city authorities and militia chiefs.

The Freedom March demonstrated to the world that people of Belarus prefer a European democratic way of development to the medieval dictatorship and barbarism. The March demonstrated to the regime that the people of Belarus are not intimidated; they are not going to watch the activity of the “death squadrons”.

The young people, who attended the Freedom March for the first time or saw it, became a new generation of democrats. The people, who know the price of freedom and are ready to struggle for it, the people, who will never become slaves whatever the circumstances are.