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.
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.
Teachers in St. Petersburg were instructed to search their students' social media pages for LGBT symbols and to report any student who posted an LGBT symbol to the police. This order was defended as a way of protecting children's rights, consistent with Russia's law banning "gay propaganda" from being shown to minors. However, this is an example of how LGBT youth are being denied access to crucial resources and support in a country where they are already discriminated against.
In a Moscow court ruling, Irina Zhivova was ordered to pay her ex-husband approximately 10,000 rubles for using the words "inflict a beating" in a Facebook post about domestic violence. This court order set a precedent that victims of domestic violence cannot speak out about their experience until a judicial decision has been reached. In Russia, there no law defining domestic violence, making it difficult for survivors to obtain protection. This court ruling further silences women, illustrating the dire need for change in how domestic violence is viewed and dealt with.
