In January 2024, the Belarusian authorities initiated criminal proceedings against twenty intellectuals, including social scientists, political analysts, experts, journalists, and opposition politicians who were arbitrarily united in the so-called group of ‘Tsikhanouskaya Analysts’. The prosecution alleges that the charged persons have engaged in activities aimed at conspiracy to seize power in an unconstitutional way, calls for actions aimed at causing harm to the national security, incitement to hatred, and membership in an extremist organisation. These and similar charges have in the past been brought against persons who have expressed dissent to the actions and politics of the Belarusian government. These attempts to intimidate and threaten our work by means of criminal prosecution must therefore be classified as politically motivated. All individuals against whom the charges have been brought will stand trial in absentia before the Minsk Regional Court on 31 May 2024. This persecution has been already condemned in the Resolution of the European Parliament on 8 February 2024.
In this regard, we, the undersigned scholars and political analysts accused in this case, state the following:
● We consider the case initiated by the Belarusian authorities to be a politically motivated persecution on trumped-up charges. All individuals have pursued their respective professional activities independently.
● The case is part of a wider campaign of persecution by the Belarusian authorities against political analysts, researchers, and journalists. With the special trials in absentia recently introduced into Belarusian legislation, the government has targeted individuals living abroad.
● The alleged crimes of calls to seize state power and engagement in extremist activities cannot be applicable to our professional activities and research.
● The legal proceedings do not comply with basic procedural rules under Belarusian law or with international human rights standards. The Belarusian authorities failed to substantiate their claims for the charges made against us and further did not provide access to the case files despite repeated formal requests. Those of us who did not or could not file legal requests do not know the names or contact information of their formally appointed attorneys.
● Under these circumstances, we cannot expect a fair trial with due process, and it is without doubt that we will be sentenced by the Belarusian court. We are denied basic civil rights as thousands of Belarusian citizens and political prisoners convicted in similar politically motivated trials.
● We are grateful for your support and solidarity.
Signed by:
Ryhor Astapenia, PhD. Founder at the Center for New Ideas, Belarus Initiative Director at Chatham House.
Philipp Bikanau, researcher.
Tatsiana Chulitskaya, PhD in social sciences, researcher, Manchester Metropolitan University/ Vilnius University.
Yauheni Kryzhanouski, PhD in political science, researcher, University of Strasbourg
Aleś Łahviniec, Programme director, Free Belarus University.
Veranika Laputska, researcher, PhD Candidate at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Hanna Liubakova, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Vasil Navumau, PhD in sociology, researcher at Center for Advanced Internet Studies / Institute of Social Movements at Ruhr-University Bochum.
Maryia Rohava, researcher.
Piotr Rudkouski, PhD in Philosophy ,expert.
Alesia Rudnik, director of the Center for New Ideas, a PhD candidate in political science at Karlstad University.
Natallia Rabava, director of research centre BIPART.
Alexander Shlyk, election expert.
Katsiaryna Shmatina, political scientist, doctoral researcher at Virginia Tech (Washington, D.C.)
Comments