Belarus has labeled human rights organization Viasna (‘Spring’) as “extremist”, the organization writes on Wednesday on social media. President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime made the decision because Viasna was allegedly preparing “attacks on the sovereignty and public security” of Belarus. Because of the extremism label, anyone involved in the activities of the organization risks years of imprisonment.
What Viasna actually does, as one of the few in Belarus, is critically following Lukashenko, also called ‘the last dictator in Europe’. Since the mid-1990s, the movement has been documenting abuses and providing legal aid to political prisoners. During the large-scale protests against Lukashenko, Viasna kept a close record of how many demonstrators the Belarusian riot police detained. She also actively shares figures about executions in Belarus.
Viasna has also been a target of the oppressive Belarusian regime for some time now. In 2021, founder Ales Bialiatski, who fought for political prisoners for decades, became one himself. The regime this year sentenced him to 10 years in prison for “tax evasion and financing protests” in Belarus — a year after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Belarusian police also arrested other personnel during raids on Viasna’s offices in Minsk in 2021.