(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Belarus say that people are afraid to talk about their political views openly, according to a poll by the Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS). 39.1 per cent of respondents say that many people hold fears about speaking out, while 22.1 per cent say only some people are afraid.

A quarter of respondents disagree, saying that nobody is scared of expressing their political views in Belarus.

Belarus seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, independent candidate Aleksandr Lukashenko won the presidential election, boosted by his popularity after acting as chairman of an anti-corruption parliamentary committee. Lukashenko remains the country’s president to this day.

In March 2006, Lukashenko won the presidential election with 82.6 per cent of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the ballot "did not meet the required international standards for free and fair elections" and was "severely flawed due to arbitrary use of state power and restrictions to basic rights."

Belarus held a legislative election on Sept. 28. On Sept. 29, The Central Election Commission said the opposition failed to elect one single representative to the legislature, declaring, "The 99 elected candidates support the current authorities. There is no opponent among them."

Belarusian opposition leader Aleksandr Kozulin, a member of the Social Democratic Party, was arrested in February 2006 for allegedly "pushing a policeman" and "damaging a picture of the president at the police station." He was later sentenced to five and a half years in jail for hooliganism and incitement to mass disorder. Several international organizations, including the European Union (EU), called for Kozulin’s release. According to published reports, Kozulin was freed in August.

On Sept. 23, the European Parliament said that Kozulin was short-listed for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the EU’s top human rights award, for his "great courage to withstand the [Belarus] regime’s actions and to fight for freedom of thought and expression and basic civil rights."

Polling Data

What do you think about the readiness of people in Belarus to express their political views?

Source: Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS)
Methodology: Interviews with 1,501 Belarusian adults, conducted from Sept. 2 to Sept. 12, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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