Belarus’ authorities maintain high level of repression against opposition

Pavel Vinogradov, an activist from Zmena youth organisation was arrested ahead of the CIS and EEU Summit.

Regardless of the authorities’ desire to defrost relations with the EU and the US, the Belarusian security forces have not changed their repressive means towards the opposition – especially the youth activists- by using the same tactics that they usually employ before major international events. Meanwhile, seven prisoners, whom human rights activists and the opposition consider as political prisoners, are still behind bars. Ahead of the presidential campaign, the authorities are most likely to maintain a high level of repressions against the opposition in order to eliminate threats from the most radical opposition activists.