For the last 15 years or so, Belarus has lived in agony. It has been called “the last dictatorship in Europe”; its ruler, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has been called “the last dictator in Europe.” Since December 19, life in Belarus has become much, much worse. On that day, Lukashenko stole his latest election. Citizens rose up to protest en masse. Lukashenko cracked down on them, hard: breaking bones and filling up his cells.
Anna Gerasimova is a Belarusian human-rights advocate living in Lithuania. She says, “What is happening there, it’s hard to believe, even for a Belarusian.” She further says, “We believe we are reliving 1937.” This was a period of Stalinist terror. The very mention of the year 1937 sends a chill through many Belarusians.
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