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  ‘Humiliation is their hallmark’ Basketball star Yelena Leuchanka recalls 15 days spent in an infamous Belarusian jail

  Yelena Leuchanka, a Belarusian basketball player, was recently arrested and kept in the Okrestina detention center for her participation in protests opposing the Lukashenko regime. Her story speaks to the broader human effects of the continuing protests in Belarus, as well as the ways that the state cultivates strong complicity amongst its constituents.
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  Off the cross and into the police van - ‘Meduza’ speaks to the activists behind the ‘crucifixion’ outside Moscow’s FSB headquarters

  On Thursday, November 5th, Pavel Krisevich, a Russian activist famous for his symbolic protests, performed a ‘mock crucifixion’ outside of Moscow’s FSB headquarters. His use of art combined with the motto “Down with the police state!” speaks to the ways in which the power dynamic between the police and the people in Russia maintains the authoritarianism that marks the region, as well as the potential for change towards liberal democracy.
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  ‘I will remember her ashes forever’ Why Nizhny Novgorod’s most independent journalist, Irina Slavina, burned herself alive in front of the local police station

  The death of Irina Slavina, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the free journalism KozaPress, is the living evidence of media censorship and violation of free speech in Russia.
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  Goodbye, Lenin: How a small town in Russia triggered outrage by ditching a few of its Soviet street names

  Protests recently erupted in Tarusa after the city's council changed the names of streets named after leaders in the Soviet Union back to their pre-revolutionary forms. While some tend to agree that the Soviet revolutionaries should no longer be glorified, those protesting feel that the re-naming of streets is a sign of fascism and an unwarranted rejection of the town's history
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  ‘It’s what society wants’ Belarusian bodybuilding champion divorces husband identified as riot policeman in infamous protest snapshot

  A famous Belarusian body-builder recently divorced her husband, a member of the riot police of Minsk, after she received threats following the release of his personal information via a doxing service. Her declaration that her divorce "Is what society wanted" speaks to the growing effect of protests in the region on individuals, as well as whether threats to personal livelihood will grow increasingly relevant in convincing the authorities to enact positive change.
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  The Slavic brotherhood’s future Belarusian security expert Yahor Lebiadok breaks down military cooperation between Moscow and Minsk

  As protests against the Lukashenko regime continue in Minsk, President Vladimir Putin of Russia made the decisive choice to officially express Moscow's support for the maintenance of Alexander Lukashenko's power. Though Russia initially had a "wait-and-see" stance on the protests, it appears that Putin's position has changed due to Russia and Belarus' interdependence for military supplies, monetary support, and political outreach.
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  Tens of Thousands March in Belarus Despite Police Threat to Open Fire

  The article describes the protests that took place in Belarus on the 18th of October 2020 and their relation to previous statements by Belarusian government agencies and foreign countries
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  Anger From Moscow, Minsk as EU, U.S. Sanction Belarus

  This article reports on the sanctions placed on Belarus by the EU and America because of election protests as well as the retaliation by Belarus and Russia.
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  ‘You have no masks’ Meet the Belarusian developer working on a facial recognition algorithm for doxing riot police

  In response to severe police suppression of protests in Belarus, developer Andrey Maximov designed a program that exposes the identities of police officers accused of abuse. While this is a positive evolution in terms of the Belarusian people's tactics of non-violent direct action, its efficacy will only be revealed by the nature of the response of the Lukashenko regime.
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  Belarusians take to the streets in protest following Lukashenko’s ‘secret’ inauguration

  Protests movements across Belarus gained traction once again last week, following the 'secret inauguration' of President Lukashenko despite the contested results of his election on August 9th. As pro-democracy movements are increasingly met with violent suppression in the country, the fate of the Belarusian people remains in question as they continue in the fight to shape their historical process and geo-political climate.