Lukashenka Trying To Carry Water In Sieve

The authorities will not achieve anything by their decrees.

Coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign, representative of the Belarusian National Congress in Brest, active participant in the protest spring 2017 Andrei Sharenda told this to Charter97.org, commenting on the updated decree on "parasites":

- What the authorities are now doing with decrees on "parasites" can be called Lukashenka's revenge for the hot spring of 2017. A year ago we saw how thousands of Belarusians stood up for their rights, how independent websites worked, covering protests.

The regime realized that if it did not try to strangle all the freedoms in the country, it simply could not exist further. The blocking of Charter'97, the harassment of Belsat journalists, independent bloggers are all links of one chain. Obviously, the regime wants to suppress everything free and independent. It seems to me that the ruler is simply in another reality and does not understand that the blockage in the 21st century is complete nonsense. It can be said that Lukashenka is trying to carry water in a sieve. In general, the authorities will not achieve anything by their actions.

If a year ago the regime wanted to grab 200 dollars from people, then the updated decree on "parasites" is even more cynical and more complex. Lukashenka thinks that taking away the last money from people is not enough. He wants to take away their health and some kind of faith in the future as well. The updated decree is aimed primarily against those who work for themselves or abroad.

Now the regime has a desire to take away ordinary people's health. The decrees on "parasites" is an extortion, they want to take the last from the people.

I want to address the Belarusians: do not wait until the scandalous decree starts working! Do not wait until the last breaths of freedom are taken away, you need to act. I call on all to speak up, to go out on the square of cities. It is necessary to achieve freedom by peaceful means.