Elections take place, a result is dictated and the ruling party claims power once again for the 4th/5th/6th time consecutively. The area-wise biggest country in the world, the lead in this story has another friend in this diversified universe, the recently in news nation Belarus is the new limelight here. Calling it new would certainly be wrong, but for the sake of lacking a better word, there is no denying what has happened in Belarus in the past months especially post the rigged elections is so similar to the rest of its colleagues, yet different and extremely daunting.
A brief introduction to Belarus is a population of 9 million people, bordered by five countries, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine, and of course a pretentious republic. In what is doomed, orchestrated, and apparent, thousands of migrants stand in the cold forests of the eastern half of Europe coming from the Middle Eastern countries of Iraq and others mainly the crisis has subsided, rooted in numerous rounds of sanctions imposed by the European Union on the State of Belarus and Lukashenko to respond to the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression by civil society, the opposition Democrats and journalists, as well as the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on May 23, 2021, and the relative detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Superga.
What is exactly taking place?
Belarus issued an influx of tourist visas for people in the middle east, especially for people who wanted to leave their respective countries. The rising Taliban revival in Afghanistan also influenced many afghans to take Belarusian visas. The situation took a reverse, and many of them got trapped on Poland- Belarus borders while no country allowed entry. It is projected guards in Belarus helped in transferring people from their borders to the neighboring ones, and when Poland attempted to retreat, Belarus did not let them. The ruling party in Poland is anti-immigration and is said to have won elections based on this agenda. Resultantly, their visas no longer remain, and they find themselves trapped between these nations. The state airline of Belarus, Belavia increased direct flights from all over the middle east, and other neighboring countries, while the country enhanced visa-free travel stay for 30 days for 76 countries also.
Lukashenko's Plan?
Rewind 6 years. The middle eastern crisis of Syria, Iraq was at a peak. Many people fled for neighboring lands in Europe and Africa. The easiest way to enter Europe was via turkey and the European Union wasn't prepared. They paid Turkey to restrict the people from moving ahead into Europe, a whopping 6 billion dollars. The flow although restricted, gave Turks the power to blackmail the EU for funds and other requirements on the threat of releasing them in European nations. Lukashenko possibly plans the same, trapping thousands of people in the lure of visas and safe havens and in return threatening the European Union to lift sanctions and economic restrictions on the state of Belarus.
The state of Belarus is a powerhouse of controversies, The country accommodates no press freedoms, is alone upon to death penalties in the entire region, carries out public executions, and whatnot. The leader claims the COVID virus is non-existent, enacts no measures, and prescribes vodka as a preventive measure. The parliament is pretty much a gala of his friends taking in various profiles. Lukashenko's job in the present crisis has pretty much reduced to allowing a pathway to the refugees to Poland, where they are left alone in quest of reaching countries like Germany that are liberal and open to asylum-seeking refugees. With an already languishing public image and no real reputation to save, Lukashenko currently stands in a position with nothing to lose and openly challenges the European Union and other neighboring countries. It is sad on international issues, often the problems of the homeless are given less attention, while the ego of the leaders are more widely covered. The 4000 odd people are stranded on borders of countries they have no real relation with, and watching walls constructed on polish and Latvian borders would further deteriorate their spirits.
