{"id":11361,"date":"2022-02-23T04:53:18","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T01:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/authorities-use-covid-19-as-pretext-to-intimidate-opponents\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"authorities-use-covid-19-as-pretext-to-intimidate-opponents","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11361\/","title":{"rendered":"Authorities use COVID-19 as pretext to intimidate opponents"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Andrej Jeliseje\u016d, of EAST think tank<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Belarusian authorities use COVID-19 for political ends. Officials said that voting booths will be without curtains for a constitutional referendum scheduled for February 27. <\/b>\n<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\n No curtains, but masks not required <\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

\n\t Belarus is known for adopting a less restrictive strategy than other countries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The requirement for people to wear masks was in force only for one week only in October 2021 before it was annulled immediately after Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka criticized the measure. Belarus has not introduced lockdowns or all-out distance learning. Other measures such as a ban on mass gatherings were inconsistent and ill-timed.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The government has kept deaths numbers secret for two years, while health authorities are known to have manipulated data on infections and deaths caused by COVID-19. State-controlled media have played down the scale of the outbreak and its risks for public health.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t In this context, it may seem quite strange that the central election commission has decided against using curtains, citing concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Authorities stopped short of requiring voters to wear masks at polling stations. Open booths, which leave voters without space to vote in private, are seen as a countermeasure against the referendum strategy proposed by the Sviatlana Cichano\u016dskaja camp and other political actors.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The Cichano\u016dskaja camp appealed to voters to come to the polls, spoil ballots by crossing both boxes and take pictures of the ballots to share on an electronic platform. With booths open, election officials can report those using mobile phones to police, and voters may be arrested.\n<\/p>\n

Opposition strategy may fail<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The opposition announced their strategy well in advance, but the removal of curtains and the continuing campaign of intimidation may prevent voters from taking pictures of invalid ballots and registering their opposition to the referendum.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The ballot-sharing tactic was successful during the 2020 presidential election but it may not work during the referendum.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Spoiled ballots are unlikely to have a considerable psychological effect on election officials because many opponents are likely to sit out. Anyway, whatever the official result, it cannot boost voters\u2019 low confidence in the government.\n<\/p>\n

COVID-19 as pretext to limit independent observation<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The Belarusian authorities used COVID-19 to limit the presence of observers at polling stations to five during the 2020 presidential election. The central election commission cited COVID-19 as the reason for not inviting observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. However, it invited monitors from the Commonwealth of Independent States who failed to spot any irregularities as usual.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Since the number of observers was limited to five on the main voting day and three during the five-day early voting, authorities had the opportunity to pick observers that were given access to polling stations. Officials at some polling stations removed curtains from voting booths but it did not prevent voters from taking pictures of their ballots that they uploaded later to the Holas vote-counting data base.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Later, authorities denied political prisoners meetings with lawyers citing COVID-19. Prisons would not accept parcels for political prisoners citing the same grounds. Authorities have used the epidemic as part of \u201cpurposeful and deliberate effort to create inhumane conditions\u201d in prisons and detention centers, said a report released by human rights groups in late 2020.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Authorities did not take any measures to protect detainees from being infected, and did not isolate and treat inmates with COVID-19 symptoms, the report said.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t On the other hand, the government\u2019s poor handling of the COVID-19 outbreak fueled public discontent in the run-up and during the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Andrej Jeliseje\u016d, of EAST think tank Belarusian authorities use COVID-19 for political ends. Officials said that voting booths will be without curtains for a constitutional referendum scheduled for February 27. No curtains, but masks not required Belarus is known for adopting a less restrictive strategy than other countries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11361","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAuthorities use COVID-19 as pretext to intimidate opponents | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Andrej Jeliseje\u016d, of EAST think tank Belarusian authorities use COVID-19 for political ends. 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