Violent demonstrations taking place in Warsaw on the 9th of August could potentially cause harm to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a series of events commemorating the fifth anniversary of mass protests against the Belarusian government, a "New Belarus" conference and related pro-democracy events are scheduled to take place in Warsaw, Poland on August 9-10. These gatherings aim to highlight Belarusian democracy and human rights issues amid ongoing repression in Belarus.
The planned street actions have been met with opposition from the Belarusian government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus has summoned Poland’s Chargé d'affaires to condemn the events, considering them "destructive" and "hostile." They allege that these actions are intended to damage Belarusian-Polish relations and infringe upon the sovereignty of their nation.
The Belarusian government has been intensifying repressive actions at home, with mass arrests and threats against government critics, in an effort to prevent any momentum or legitimacy gained by these abroad pro-democracy events. The Ministry reserves the right to take necessary retaliatory measures against any provocative actions.
Over 200 people have been identified by the Investigative Committee of Belarus as participants in protests abroad, and clashes with law enforcement accompanied the Belarus protests. The events are specifically planned for August 9-10, with the aim of causing damage to the Republic of Belarus.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus is aware of and opposes the planned street actions in the Polish capital. Spokesman for the Ministry, Ruslan Varankov, has made these statements, expressing concern that such hostile actions do not contribute to the restoration of normal dialogue between states and directly harm Belarus-Poland relations.
The events in Warsaw are organised by representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, supported by the official Warsaw and known for their destructive and provocative activities. These protests were initially sparked in Belarus after the presidential election on August 9, 2020, leading to mass protests that lasted for about half a year.
Some opposition leaders in Belarus have had criminal cases opened against them, including for calls to seize power, creating an extremist formation, conspiracy to seize power unconstitutionally, and attempted terrorism. These criminal cases are still ongoing in Belarus.
As the world continues to watch the political landscape of Belarus unfold, these upcoming events in Warsaw serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for democracy and human rights in the country.
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- The upcoming "New Belarus" conference in Warsaw, along with other pro-democracy events, is being met with criticism by the Belarusian government, who consider these events as "destructive" and "hostile," potentially damaging Belarusian-Polish relations and infringing upon the sovereignty of Belarus. (politics, general-news)
- Furthermore, these pro-democracy events, dealing with Belarusian democracy and human rights issues amid ongoing repression in Belarus, arise from the same roots as the protests that erupted in Belarus after the presidential election on August 9, 2020, which have since been followed extensively in crime-and-justice and war-and-conflicts news. (war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice)
