28 March 2024, Thursday, 18:29
Support
the website
Sim Sim,
Charter 97!
Categories

Dzmitry Bandarenka: Blocking Of Charter’97 May Become First Step To Occupation Of Belarus By Russia

17
Dzmitry Bandarenka: Blocking Of Charter’97 May Become First Step To Occupation Of Belarus By Russia
Dzmitry Bandarenka

The Crimean scenario is repeated in Belarus.

Coordinator of the “European Belarus” civil campaign Dzmitry Bandarenka commented upon the blocking of the Charter97.org:

— In my opinion, there are two reasons for blocking the website. The first one — it's unpleasant for the dictator to read the truth about himself. I am sure that Lukashenka personally reads the website Charter97.org.

He was horrified by dozens of thousands of people who chanted “Leave!” at the Square-2010, “Down With Number 3 Decree, Lukashenka, You Must Leave!” at the Outraged Belarusians’ Marches.

The Charter'97 website also shows the attitude of ordinary Belarusians to the authorities. This was reflected in the editorial position and comments of readers. The subject that Charter97.org has recently covered, namely, how Lukashenka and his entourage, the so-called Drazdy dwellers, live at the background of the general impoverishment of the people. The website covered idiotic decrees that are directed against individual entrepreneurs and “social parasites”. Naturally, the law-enforcers from Lukashenka's entourage constantly intimidate him with popular uprisings and conspiracies.

The second reason — the decision could be made in Moscow. Even the American generals say that Russia will not stop, will continue aggressive military actions, first of all — against the Baltic states.

In order to begin aggression against the Baltic countries, a complete occupation of Belarus is needed. Since the information component makes about 70% of the hybrid war, Russia could not tolerate the existence of an independent media resource, which, by influence and audience, surpasses all Russian sites and Belarusian state media on the Internet.

I believe that Russia could long ago have demanded from Lukashenka that he should close the website Charter97.org, because this resource was a barrier to the spread of the aggressive, chauvinistic “Russian world”.

It is necessary to consider the closure of the Charter'97 website as a geopolitical threat to the Belarusian people and neighboring countries of Belarus: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Poland.

If there is no reaction, then we can say that the closure of the website Сharter97.org is a real step towards the full occupation of Belarus and the beginning of the war in the region.

— Throughout its entire history, the website Сharter97.org faced contradiction from the authorities. How did it manage to survive?

— I will answer this as one of the founders of the initiative Charter’97, and a person who had a certain influence on the website’s work in different years.

The people who worked in the Charter’97 press-center: Mikalai Khalezin, Aleh Biabenin, Natallia Radzina, who is the Editor-in-Chief at the website now — all of them had the experience of closure of the newspapers they used to work at.

These are the newspaper Imia, Naviny, Nasha Svaboda. I had a working experience and the experience of the closure of Radio 101.2. The Charter’97 was initiated by journalists and aimed at the defense of the freedom of speech.

We always knew that, if we don’t fight for ourselves, don’t help others, we will be disunited. This is what the authorities want.

When we actively struggled for ourselves, and I mean political parties, trade unions, HR defenders, media — we could stop the authorities’ actions.

When there was passivity, nothing worked. I set an example of closing the Radio 101.2, while we were on air, I suggested we should call on the people to come out in our defense. Other opinions prevailed, the offers to negotiate and solve this in any otyher way.

With the closure of Radio 101.2, there have become no independent radio stations. All the rest were kind and fluffy. The same thing happened with television. When we fought, when international solidarity turned on, we managed to resist, preserve these islands of freedom and reduce repression. Belarus is a dictatorship of the Latin American type and the fact that there are no dozens of thousands of political opponents and journalists killed in our country, as it was in Argentina, Paraguay or Brazil, is the merit of the Belarusian opposition and journalists.

I would also like to tell the authorities that closing media never decreases the social tension if there are reasons for it.

— What should be the reaction of Belarusians to the blocking of the Charter97.org?

— Here, much depends on the journalists of the Charter’97, on their activity, on the steps they take. It is good that many world media published the information about the blocking of the Charter’97 website within the very first hours after it had happened. The information was also widely spread in Twitter and on Facebook.

The initial reaction looks hopeful. There are words of support and solidarity of the Belarusian independent media and politicians. Living abroad, I would not advise anything to the people in Belarus, but if Belarusians want to obtain independent information, if they have an understanding that the blocking of the website Charter97.org may lead to the total shut-down of the independent media in Belarus, then all necessary actions aimed at restoration of the full-scope functioning of the website Charter97.org should be conducted.

As I already said, this is not a domestic affair of Belarus.

The blockade of the Сharter97.org is nothing but direct invitation for the Russian troops to invade Belarus. We see what is happening in the Crimea. Total “mop-up” of any independent opinions, any independence among the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians living in the Crimea, is going on.

According to leader of the Medjlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Dzhemilev, the peninsula is being populated with the Russians, the Russian de facto authorities have already moved several hundred thousand people to the Crimea. Russia envisages the same model for Belarus. Meanwhile, everything started from shutting down Ukrainian media and starting court cases against journalists.

No matter how hard it is to survive in Belarus economically, I believe that there are brave men and women in our country, who will fight for the freedom of speech, the freedom of the Charter’97, their own freedom and the independence of our country.

Important to note, on January 24 the Lukashenka regime blocked the independent informational resource Charter97.org. First Deputy Minister of Information Ihar Lutski confirmed the fact of blocking.

The detailed instruction how to overcome the blocking of the website Charter97.org is available here.

Write your comment 17

Follow Charter97.org social media accounts