Sviatlana Alexievich: The Regime Should Have No Access to International Financial System

The proud country is fighting with a mad murderer in the middle of Europe.

Belarusian writer Sviatlana Alexievich is concerned about the future of her country. "She says every morning she receives e-mails that make her cry. She showed several of them. They contain pictures of shattered hands that have turned into a bloody mess, bodies with gaping wounds, pictures of prisoners from Belarusian prisons," writes the German magazine Der Spiegel (translated by inopressa.ru). Journalists Tobias Rapp and Volker Weidermann talked to a writer currently undergoing treatment in Berlin.

" The things he [Lukashenka] is doing are a disaster. After rigged voting results, 27 thousand people were arrested in August. They are scientists, professors, ordinary people, workers and students. All strata of society suffered. Lukashenka is destroying the country," said Alexievich.

"Lukashenka does not care about society. Despite the tragic situation with the coronavirus and overcrowded hospitals, fifty doctors were detained. In Minsk, there is a well-known cardiologist who refused to fire young doctors who participated in the demonstration. After that, he lost his job. Yesterday I received a report that his country house had been set on fire. (...) Minsk is filled with masked riot policemen, who, in their arbitrariness, control and detain people. It is a hybrid civil war. Supporters of Lukashenka confront the other half of the population," the writer said.

Speaking about Lukashenka's supporters, Alexievich said: 'Ordinary people follow him. Perhaps, because they are afraid to lose something. However, the remnants of the Soviet system mainly support him. I was surprised how quickly everything could return. Methods of special services from Stalinist times. We defeated fascism in World War II and developed a moral vaccine against it. However, we don't have a cure for Stalinism and the Gulag. The old positions can transform anew at any time.

"Lukashenka arrested the key persons running for office or forced them to escape the country. However, it failed, as their wives took their place. It caused a new wave of enthusiasm. (...) Men were behind bars; women were busy running political campaigns. Earlier, this was beyond belief. (...) Lukashenka does not know what to do with women; he often spoke with neglect about us. He cares only about the one who served in the army. He underestimated women until he saw that even women from rural areas were protesting," the newspaper's interlocutor said.

"The idea of our Coordination Council was the transfer of power without violence and bloodshed. (...) Belarus has always had the feeling that we lag behind history. Who does want to be the last Soviet republic in Europe? Everything changed in a moment. The protests have somehow initiated the birth of a new nation," stressed Alexievich.

Commenting on rumours that Russian security services were also involved in suppressing protests in Belarus, the writer said: "I thought the same. I could not imagine that our people could oppose their population so harshly. But it is true. They say that Lukashenka asked the current Defense Minister if he was ready for any scenario. Some young people studied at a military university and told that one asked them: "Would you kill your parents to protect the country?"

The Opposition Coordination Council no longer exists," said Alexievich.

- Its members are or have been in prison, expelled from the country or have escaped. There is a new council; the names of its members are not disclosed for security reasons. Arrangements are made through social networks. However, I have the feeling that the West does not realize what is happening in Belarus. Things we are experiencing are violence against the innocent. Prisons are overcrowded with people charged with participation in protests. People are systematically humiliated. They often have no water in the toilets; cells designed for five people are packed with 35 people; prisoners have to sleep while standing. They have to stand all day long or even a week. The stories I know are only typical for Stalinist times. One makes regular attempts to break people's will. I have seen a lot of bad things in my life, and yet I am shocked by the events in Belarus. A small proud country is fighting a crazy killer in the middle of Europe! The world is silent. What is the crime of these people? They want new elections. They want the rigged elections to be annulled. What does Lukashenka say? No, I will not share my beloved with anyone. (...) That's how he calls Belarus. At the same time, he turned the country into a concentration camp".

"The EU sanctions are a good thing, but it's far from sufficient," the writer said.

- The ban on entry to the EU of the senior officials of the regime does not particularly affect them. Their families can still travel. Lukashenka has already banned his senior officials from leaving the country. One could remove Belarus from the international banking system. The oil industry is important for the country. Sanctions in this sphere could be more effective. It would damage the economy hard. Lukashenka would be helpless before the protests. We want to transfer power peacefully. Lukashenka can't imagine it. He believes that the position belongs to him".

"If there is an economic fiasco and political prisoners are released, we can approach the moment when something new may come. Perhaps Russia will not let us turn to Europe. However, at the moment, even that would be acceptable to me. Everything is better than today's status," said Alexievich.

"Lukashenka is capable of doing everything," the newspaper's interlocutor emphasized.

- I can assume a complete decay of the country, chaos, a scenario of civil war. (...) At the moment, the country is under armed control. All possible units have been raised to suppress the opposition. These special forces are held together by the blood they spill. They are afraid of a new government that could bring them to justice. The guilt they have oppressed their conscience in recent months is turning into a strong link that bounds these young men.

Speaking of the Russian opposition, Alexievich said: "In the summer, I wrote an appeal to the Russian intelligentsia. "A small nation is being destroyed before your eyes, why are you silent? Ten people, brave democrats, responded to it. But only ten. (...) A Russian person has a firm faith that the surrounding countries belong to the Russian Empire.

"The empire has weakened. Everywhere, the communist elite is dying out. Now, those who want to come to power are fighting with each other. It's a big pot with old communists, new capitalists," the writer said.

Speaking about the future of protests in Belarus, Alexievich said: "I doubt that Lukashenka will be able to suppress the energy of people for long. His time is up. However, we will succeed if the world community comes to the rescue".