Five Years after 2020 Protests, Lukashenko Using ‘Quiet Terror’ to Deceive Belarusians and Others about How Unpopular and Repressive He is, ‘Vyasna’ Lawyer Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 30 – Five years ago in the wake of the stolen election, Lukashenka used force to repress his people, actions that send a signal to all Belarusians and many in the international community that he remains a repressive dictator, according to Vyasna Center lawyer Pavel Sapelko.

            But now, in an effort to deceive both the Belarusian ruler has adopted a policy that can be described as “quiet terror,” with many of his most repressive moves hidden by his regime’s concealment (rfi.fr/ru/европа/20250730-правозащитный-центр-вясна-через-пять-лет-после-протестов-2020-го-в-беларуси-наступила-фаза-тихого-террора).

            Because his repression is not nearly as often the subject of coverage in the media not only in Belarus but internationally, many in both places assume that things have somehow improved, Sapelko continued. But in fact, as he has “normalized” repression, Lukashenka has expanded its scope.

            And that has given the Belarusian dictator undeserved victories. Many in Belarus know things are bad but not how bad they are, and many in Western countries, including the United States, assume that the situation is no worse than it was and may in fact be improving and that concessions to Lukashenka’s regime are entirely justified.

            That is a horrific mistake, Sapelko says; and it is one that human rights activists like those in his organization are working hard to try to correct. But their ability even to document the extent of Lukashenka’s “quiet terror” is limited as ever less information about courts and jails is available.