Belarus crackdown ramps up as protesters get jail time for flying rebel flags

Belarus' historic white-red-and-white flag emerged as a protest symbol this summer

Credit: Yevgeny Maloletka/Bloomberg

At least two people in Belarus have been sentenced to a week in jail for displaying an anti-government flag, marking an escalation in authorities’ efforts to clamp down on protests that have been rumbling on for months.

Hundreds of people have been rallying in the streets against Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian leader of 26 years, since early August when he claimed a dubious landslide at the polls. Mr Lukashenko responded by unleashing a wave of staggering violence against peaceful protesters (watch Nov 9 video from the crackdown below).

Now, authorities have begun an unprecedented clampdown not just on protesters but also their symbols.

Belarusian media on Wednesday reported two cases of people jailed for flying a pre-Lukashenko national flag – a red horizontal strip between two white ones – from their balconies. The flag is seen as a symbol of nationalist opposition to Mr Lukashenko. 

Wearing white-red-and-white colours or displaying them in your window or balcony was until now a rare form of resistance that would not immediately trigger an arrest. These are believed to be the first such cases.

Natalya, who lives in the town of Lahoysk — north of the capital Minsk, told the Telegraph on Wednesday that police raided their home last week in connection with an unnamed criminal case and took her husband Vladimir in for questioning.

He was later found guilty of staging an illegal picket for displaying the flag at their balcony and sentenced to seven days in jail.

Natalya, who asked her last name to be withdrawn fearing repercussions at work, described the court ruling as “utterly lawless".

Her family put up the flag at the balcony as a way to encourage other protesters.

“The idea was to show that we want change and that we want to live in a better country,” she said, adding that she has now hung the flag in her bedroom and will not take it down.

Another man, Minsk resident Dmitry Kabanov, was sentenced to seven days on Monday for hanging a white-red-and-white flag at his balcony, which the court ruled to be an unsanctioned gathering in a public place, Belarusian media outlet Tut.by reported on Wednesday.

Thousands have been arrested and several killed over the past few months, while many demonstrators have complained of torture in police custody.

In response, European nations have targeted top Belarusian officials with sanctions over human rights violations, with the UK even black-listing Mr Lukashenko himself.