Our projects

Weekly mailouts

In collaboration with a group of leading Belarusian analysts, twice a week we identify the most important processes (both public and behind the scenes) happening in Belarus, and provide analytical comments. Our experts are not journalists therefore their comments are exclusive by nature and are not published anywhere else in the public domain or in the press. Articles prepared by the Information Office, are received by experts, policy-makers, journalists, governmental structures, foundations and NGOs professionally dealing with Belarus. Today around 700 people receive our weekly mailouts.

On Mondays, we send out a monitoring of events from the past week with expert commentaries (around 12-15 short articles)

On Fridays, we send out an article that reviews the most current and topical issue in Belarus.

Articles are available in two languages – in English and in Russian

If you or your organization wishes to receive our mailouts, please fill in and return this request form 

Weekly Monitoring of Events  

Thematic Reviews Archive 

- International press conferences and expert round tables

January 2011: post-elections

Shortly after the tragic events of the 2010 presidential elections, the Information Office organized press conferences in Warsaw, Vilnius, Prague, Berlin, Brussels, the Hague, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Washington (hyperlinks to each city)

Reporters had a chance to meet with members of the Belarusian opposition that had “survived” and relatives of the arrested politicians. The Belarusian delegation included Eva Nyaklyaeva, daughter of the arrested 2010 presidential candidate Vladimir Nyaklyaeu, Irina Bogdanova, sister of the arrested 2010 presidential candidate Andrey Sannikov, ex-presidential candidate during the 2006 presidential elections Alexander Kozulin, the First Head of Independent Belarus Stanislav Shushkevich, Victor Ivashkevich (“European Belarus”), Denis Sadovski (Belarusian Helsinki Committee), and Sergey Kalyakin ("Fair World” Party, Head of the independent election observation in 2010).

The main idea while organizing such events was to spread “first hand” information about the situation in Belarus following the presidential elections on 19 December 2010 to a large audience, while providing an opportunity to meet with participants and witnesses of the events.

May 2011: post-trials

A series of press conferences –‘Belarus on the edge of collapse’- took place in Warsaw (30 May), Prague (31 May), and Brussels (1 June), in partnership with the Polish Press Club (Warsaw), the Association for International Affairs (Prague), and the European Delegation to Belarus (Brussels). The aim of the meeting was to draw media attention in the west to what was happening in Belarus. Participants included:

- Andrei Dmitrieu –head of presidential candidate Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu’s campaign office, received a two-year suspended sentence.

- Dasha Korsak – wife of Andrei Sannikau’s press-secretary, Aliaksandr Atroshchankau (sentenced to 4 years of intensive regime.

- Ales Mikhalevich – presidential candidate in 2010, spent two months in the KGB special prison after the elections; received political asylum in the Czech Republic.

- Nasta Palazhanka – deputy chairman of Malady Front (Young Front), an unregistered organization, received a one-year suspended sentence.

- Alena Tankachova – human rights defender, head of the Legal Transformation Centre.

 - ‘Red on White’: A film about the presidential elections 2010

Using video footage from various reporters, professional and amateur video clips that show the excess use of power by the law enforcement agencies on 19 December – the day of presidential elections - as well as using monologues, dialogues, and testimonials of eye-witnesses, we have created a short film-illustration about the events of that day. The film is about the price of stability which was promoted by “Europe's last dictator” Lukashenko and who denied use of repressions against his political opponents.

The name of the Director of the film is not being made public due to the threat of prosecution.

Right now a full-length film is being made, based on this short film. It will be shown in several European capitals and presented at press conferences at the request of the Office and with support of the German Marshall Fund.

-The Decembrists’: A film about the trials of oppositionists following the 2010 presidential elections

On December 19, 2010, the day of presidential elections in Belarus, a new chapter begun in Belarus’ modern history. A peaceful protest was brutally dispersed, protesters were beaten up, and more than 700 were arrested. The majority were sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest. Leaders of the opposition who had been active during the pre-election presidential campaign ended up in prison. Hundreds of searches were made up and down the country for several weeks into the new year. The country stood still waiting for the trials of the recent presidential candidates and their supporters. This is a film is about the trials.

- Solidarity pages

Soon after the events of 19 December, the initiative “Solidarity pages with Belarus” was launched. Within this initiative, leading international newspapers published page-long stories about Belarusian political prisoners: about who they are, why they protested at the main square and what they are accused of by the Belarusian regime.

This initiative was supported in particular, by the Polish newspapers Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita, the Czech “Lidove noviny" and Russian “Novaya Gazeta”. 

- Photo exhibition “100 Black Days of Belarus”. 29 March, 2011

As a rule, following the first 100 days of Presidency the first results of the leadership are summed up. Belarus has not seen a new President yet. Therefore on 29 March, 2011, 100 days after 19 December, Belarus had to count its losses. The losses the country suffered during 100 days of repressions.

On 29 March, in the heart of the Polish capital on Castle Square, a unique corridor of large banners, photos and a map of the events of 19 December were set up. Information booklets were distributed to the passers-by with information about the first 100 days of life in Belarus following the events of 19 December, including names and addresses of political prisoners with a proposal to support them with a post card or a letter.