Long Live Autocracy!

Alexander Lukashenko was born to humblegotten worse for the European republic. In 1998 the
beginnings in the small town of Kopys, Belarus inEuropean Union implemented a travel ban on Belarus
August of 1954. As a child he was often taunted forafter Lukashenko dismissed foreign ambassadors.
having an unwed mother but he went on to serve inLukashenko has continued to alienate the west
the Soviet military and in his civilian life workedcommending Slobodan Milosevic, trading arms with
primarily in agriculture.Iran and Iraq, and even supposedly giving Saddam
In 1985 he became the director of one of Grohets aHussein a Belorussian passport in 2003.
state run farm in Shklov. By 1990 he was a deputyThe electoral process of Belarus is a sick joke.
of the Supreme Council. During Lukashenko's earlyLukashenko is believed to have organized death
political career he developed the reputation as ansquads to kill his opponents before elections. In 2001
honest man who was adamantly against corruptionthe only nation cheering Lukashenko's reelection was
of any kind. In 1993 he heightened his reputation forRussia who would profit from a new gas pipeline.
honesty exposing more than 70 corrupt BelorussianDuring the 2006 elections Lukashenko publicly said
officials including the Speaker of Parliamentanyone going to opposition protests would have their
Shushkevich who was forced to resign.necks wrung like a duck. He won 93% of the vote.
The results of Lukashenko's hard work and apparentTen thousand protesters took to the streets that
honesty helped him win the presidential election ofnight but to no avail. Protest is worthless in the nation
1994 by a landslide. Certainly an honest man of theof Belarus.
people would help the people of Belarus.In 2008 approximately thirty people were handing out
Unfortunately things began rapidly changing.leaflets containing information about the Declaration
Absolutely no dissidence was tolerated. If one did notof Human Rights and noting some of the abuses
support the regime then they could be beaten, jailed,committed in Belarus. These people were beaten and
or even disappear. In 1996 the world began to reallyarrested. Recently Belarus has petitioned to join the
notice the changes in the government of Belarus.Human Rights Council of the United Nations however
Alexander Lukashenko was dissatisfied with theBelarus will not even allow human rights activists to
parliament thus he dismissed all members andenter the country nor do they meet the human
handpicked a new parliament consisting entirely of hisrights standards of the EU. It is almost certain that
supporters.Belarus' petition will be denied.
Since the changes of the nineties things have only