19 March 2024, Tuesday, 13:43
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Jauhen Afnahel: "Black Swans" Are Chasing Lukashenka

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Jauhen Afnahel: "Black Swans" Are Chasing Lukashenka

The Belarusian dictatorship has broken next bottom.

The other day Mingorispolkom (Minsk City Executive Committee) decided to demolish KFC and Burger King buildings near Kamennaya Gorka owned by ReviTar Invest.

The official version bureaucrats refer to is formal "violations" of the authorities made 10-15 years ago. But it is informed that the decision has been made "on the very top".

It's true; the company fell into disfavour in 2015 when it refused to demolish its cafe next to the entrance of Vostok metro station. It was ordered by Serbian Zomeks Investment owned by Serbian friends of Lukashenka Bogolyub and Dragomir Karich.

Lukashenka has recently stated that the economy is his greatest nightmare. Why does the regime need other scandal then? Coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign Jauhen Afnahel comments on the situation in the interview to Charter97.org:

- The Belarusian dictatorship has broken next bottom. It especially makes fun to read arguments of the Mingorispolkom for those activists who have been defending Kurapaty for the fourth month. Can these principles be applicable to "the restaurant on bones"?

Everything is simple - there are no principles at all. After the cynicism of the authorities in Kurapaty, statements about "auctions" of 11 years ago sound ridiculous.

The system is so rotten that it is ruining itself. The feeling of permissiveness is destructive and leads to degradation. And it results in fatal mistakes causing irreversible consequences. For example, it happened like that to Yanukovich in Ukraine or to the government in Armenia.

And I'm more than concerned that "black swans" are already chasing Lukashenka. Controversial and unwise deeds increase the number of the regime's enemies, and the regime is getting more clumsy and vulnerable. The dictator is losing ground. His actions are clumsy; he does not care that people are watching him; he hides his true reasons in edited TV statements - as it happened to "severe reprimand" in Orsha.

We should watchful: such mistakes may bring Lukashenka into oblivion. Next "wrestling" of land plots in the capital is one more "alarm" to deliver a diagnosis to our "patient".

- Will it be an "alarm" for investors, international structures and European politicians?

- Every day we get confirmations that we live in an obsolete van of the actor who keeps playing the annoyed play "stability is in our lives".

The saddest and the funniest thing is that the so-called "stability" has long been abandoned by those who should believe in it. Investors ignore Belarus. State-owned enterprises which were capable of attracting foreign capital 20 years ago; now are fallen into disrepair and no one wants to invest money there.

And then Lukashenka visits other district center and wonders that there are mess, rats and condoms. Everyone knows that he was the one to raise hell in the country and breed rats. Today, after next story about "wrestled" restaurants, everyone realizes that doubtful people ruining the country take the place of investors.

Perhaps, Lukashenka has no idea that these favorites who are granted land plots in Minsk will let him down as soon as they feel his power is getting weaker. Then we will learn many interesting things during trials.

As for international structures and Western politicians, since the beginning of this year they have heard the alarm several times.

On January 24 Lukashenka's regime blocked the largest independent information source "Charter-97". Websites of the Belarusian National Congress, REP Trade Union, Belarusian Partisan were also blocked. Freelance journalists and independent bloggers are permanently detained and fined; on April 19 the "draconian law" on media was adopted. Leaders of the largest independent trade union are convicted to four years of custodial restraint. Political prisoners are provoked.

What other "alarms" are needed for European politicians to hear? They are having their heads in the sand, while Lukashenka is giving up remains of the Belarusian independence. It's useless to play a "dialogue" with the regime which uses such methods in the country.

- Where are limits of chaos with the real estate in Belarus?

- They are as far as we let them be. The so-called decree on "Dilapidated and Non-residential buildings" has recently been signed. The crux of the matter is that everyone may lose its house because of the decision made by local officials and the police.

Are we ready to defend our property? Now everyone should ask himself. We have no backing space.

The domestic crisis is weakening the regime and the string of mistakes proves it. But it's important for us to be involved in the process.

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