Farewell to Three Per Cent

Power with its own hands moulds an absolute leader.

"What biography they create for our redhead!" exclaimed Anna Akhmatova after the trial of Joseph Brodsky, who was accused of parasitism. It's hard to calculate how many biographies the Belarusian special services have created in the same tricky way. However, they not just add another line in an article about Viktar Babariko on Wikipedia. They create with their own hands an absolute, chemically pure, socially close to any Belarusian leader.

They work with enthusiasm and even inspiration. They remember every detail. Lawyers should be demonstratively not allowed to the defendants. The door of the Department of Financial Investigations should be locked from the inside before the eyes of dozens of journalists to make sure that serious people are busy with a serious case here. They write a biography. It is better to arrest him together with his son so that people would feel even more sympathy. To seize pictures worth millions of dollars (I wonder where this unfortunate Eva will appear again). And, certainly, one must do this when a person goes to file signatures to demonstrate his attitude to the perfect work of the big team and the opinion of people who for the sake of people who stand in lines.

Viktar Babariko missed only one thing until yesterday: he remained classically alien to many Belarusians with his bank, cottage, money and other attributes of a prosperous life. Sometimes I had to hear "he's Gazprom bourgeois. He does not care about the people. He will not understand such a worker". But now the last barrier is broken. Babariko is a prisoner, a convict. He is socially close, class dear to any Belarusian. Now even those who were concerned about the "bourgeoisie" are full not only of sympathy but also of respect. He's a strong man who did not give in to threats, sacrificed his lush life and went to prison. He is dangerous since the whole state system is against him! He could have listened to the first call and stopped the campaign and lived quietly on the Canaries. He's on the bunk bed. This is his choice. Pay respect to him from any side and any social group. If he is in jail, it means he's honest and innocent.

This is how they create leaders. This is how they write heroic biographies to those who were not going to become a hero but just wanted to live in a normal European country. This is how they convince people that if one goes to jail, it means this person is good. I heard a wonderful dialogue in the line at the signature collection picket. A cute middle-aged woman was talking to the man standing in front of her: "I think all normal people were behind bars under this regime. My husband has spent four years behind bars. Can you believe it?" The man said, "That's not a big deal. Did you want to impress me? Her husband was behind bars. My two daughters were also jailed!" Let them show on TV the legends of the "banker who stole too much". Anyway, nobody watches it. Maybe only Sasha, who waves goodbye to the last three per cent.

While the special services are fond of creating heroic biographies, Belarusians are holding actions of solidarity with those in prison. UCP leader Mikalai Kazlou invited Belarusians to a picket yesterday. The line stretched from the Philharmonic Hall to Victory Square, despite bad weather. Then young Palina from Mozyr called on everyone to a flash mob of solidarity. Since June 23, one should go to a balcony for two minutes every evening at seven o'clock, or open the window and make noise - rattle dishes, play music or applaud. Belarusians shared Palina's video on social networks.

That's a great idea, Palina. Like any idea of solidarity, struggle, protest. Perhaps, our common mistake was that we did not react properly to the arrest of Siarhei Tsikhanouski. From the very beginning, there were two leaders in this campaign - Tsikhanouski and Babariko. But Tsikhanouski was imprisoned and Babariko remained. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stood for her husband. Many thought that we would win together with Babariko and release Tsikhanouski and all political prisoners. Now both campaign leaders are in jail. That means Sasha's three per cent already lost the election.

We need to materialize his defeat. One can start by making some noise.

Iryna Khalip, especially for Charter97.org

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