Since 2020 the authorities in Belarus have conducted a purging of the civic space. Hundreds of lawyers lost their licences, journalists had to flee the country for fear of arrest, and media and civil society organizations have been dissolved.
There are three extremely concerning issues:
First is that the situation has pushed hundreds of thousands of Belarusians to exile.
The second main issue is the weaponization of anti-extremist, anti-terrorist legislation.
And the third main problem is the situation for political prisoners. Since about February-March 2023, dozens have been held incommunicado.
Anaïs Marin is an Associate Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme and UN special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus.