The fifth anniversary of the uprising against Lukashenko’s dictatorship is approaching. Large-scale repression temporarily suppressed mass resistance to the regime, and a series of tragic events on the world stage overshadowed the Belarusian agenda. With what emotions do we mark this anniversary? Some with nostalgia, some with hope, some with only fatigue and disappointment. For many, the enthusiasm and unity of those days have been replaced by apathy and disunity.
However, the events of 2020 are not just history. They are an experience of joint struggle, achievements, and mistakes. This experience has become part of the formation of political life in the country and is already inspiring new generations both in Belarus and beyond. Through the 2020 uprising and the subsequent political organizing, we found each other and our place in a society that was presented by the regime and the Russian world as an obedient herd.
That hot summer, we felt the power of collective action and saw the strength of a self-organized popular uprising. It was made possible by the fact that each and every one of us decided to join in. To take a risk, to believe, to not stand aside.
That is why we call on our comrades in different cities to join the diaspora’s actions or organize their own events. Let’s remind everyone around us that there is not only the state and its repression, but also the unbreakable desire of peoples for justice, freedom, and equality.
Until everyone is free!
Pramen
