“The regime's desire to bring people back to the country is understandable. The numbers that Lukashenka names (“fifteen hundred or two thousand people”) are significantly understated because, in fact, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave Belarus. These are specialists in various fields, whose absence hinders the proper functioning of the economy. Today, the shortage of workforce in the country is about 100 thousand people.
Belarusians know: we can return home when all people and families are guaranteed security. What can guarantee security is respect for the law, an independent court, legal mechanisms, and democratic institutions. Through the fault of the regime, Belarus has none of this.
Now, instead of stopping political persecution, the regime is only intensifying it. The summer of 2022 saw 100-120 people detained monthly, while September witnessed more than 400 detentions. In October, Belarusians were sentenced to a total of 426 years of politically motivated imprisonment. That is why no regime-established commission can resolve the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis. Instead of freedom, the regime offers Belarusians to make a deal with the investigation and have, as they say, “a softer ground” to kneel on.
So I urge every Belarusian to remember: the regime cannot keep any promise and cannot guarantee anything. Do not believe the people who in 2022 alone detained 52 Belarusians who returned home. Take care of your safety and that of your loved ones. Do not let yourself be deceived”.
