Warsaw’s Karma Bar, headquarters of Belarusian dissidents in exile

Letter from Warsaw

Upstairs in an unmarked bar, hidden under the arches of a Warsaw bridge, Ihar and his brother Siarhei (whose names have been changed at their request, for security reasons) sip their drinks at the counter. The sounds of shakers operated by Karma bartenders and the noise of overhead trams cannot disturb the conversation of customers inside the luxurious rooms of this VIP apartment. “We left Belarus the day after the invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022,” explained Ihar, the oldest member of the duo. “The thought of our tax money feeding Putin’s war machine was difficult for us.”

As an IT worker, he finally settled in Poland with his family in September 2022, after living in several European countries. Thirty-one did not take part in the Belarusian parliamentary elections held on February 25. Diasporas are now being asked to go to the capital, Minsk, to vote. The four parties united with the head of state claim a major victory in this democratic movement, which was boycotted by the political opposition in exile. During this time, even international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were banned.

Ihar and Siarhei have made Karma their second home, similar to many Belarusian exiles living in the Polish capital. From their headquarters at night, they participate in a discussion about the changes in their country over the past four years. “We did everything we could to try to change things in Belarus in 2020, but after the war in Ukraine, we realized that our security was no longer guaranteed,” Ihar said. “Because my brother and I voted for the opposition and participated in many protests.”

A puppet of Vladimir Putin

Belarus, located near Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, has been under the rule of the iron hand of Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. It was from this country that the attack on Ukraine was launched on February 24, 2022. , where Lukashenko “officially” claimed victory with 80% of the vote, you sparked an unprecedented popular movement that was brutally suppressed in the weeks that followed. A puppet of Vladimir Putin, the president of Belarus no longer tolerates any kind of opposition within his country.

Independent media, non-governmental organizations, opposition politicians, and ordinary citizens who had taken to the streets to demand free elections were forced to leave the country. While an estimated 500,000 Belarusians are reported to be abroad, the country’s prisons are more crowded than ever. Belarus human rights organization Viasna has documented more than 1,400 political prisoners – including 39 journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. A world record for the population of nine million people. On February 20, Ihar Lednik became the fifth political prisoner to die in custody since 2021. “There will be more deaths in the cells,” said Ihar. “Oppression reaches new heights.”

You have 45.38% of this article left to read. Others are for subscribers only.