Viktor Shenderovich On Blocking Of Charter’97: Authoritarian Degradation Of Belarus Continues

The Lukashenka regime doesn’t understand anything that goes beyond the frames of the sovkhoz worldview.

«I don’t think the Belarusian authorities demonstrated anything new in their attitude to the freedom of speech», - famous Russian writer and journalist Viktor Shenderovich commented upon the blocking of Charter97.org.

«It would be a novelty if some freedom in the dissemination of alternative information suddenly appeared in Belarus. I would be very surprised if Aliaksandr Lukashenka suddenly stopped persecuting those who do not meet his sovkhoz worldview.

So, the fact that the Charter-97 website is blocked is a sad but common situation for Belarus. This is a «normal» authoritarian degradation, which is always accompanied by such a clamp of the freedom of speech.

In Russia we have long looked at Belarus with regret, as a country that has overtaken us in terms of authoritarianism. But then Russia turned around and «successfully»came to the state of Belarus. And now it even holds the «palm of victory».