Belarus appears in and out of the Western media, usually in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The plight of those who are being imprisoned by the authorities, either because of opposition to them or, more commonly, because the authorities perceive  them as a threat,  is less well known. 

In the eyes of the world, Belarus is dismissed as being ‘Russian.’ Little is known about the uniqueness of the country and its people whose history lies between East and West.

As a Brit, I have been lucky enough to have lived  in and travelled in Eastern Europe. in the last 40 years.  I experienced Communist regimes in the 1970’s, regularly travelling to most of the countries. I witnessed the prelude to martial law in Poland in 1981 and its aftermath. I experienced the hopes and fears of those who demanded a better life but were crushed. I saw the East German  families in Trabants lining up on the Hungarian-Austrian border, hoping that the authorities would let them cross, as  they eventually did, some months before the Berlin wall finally came down.

More recently, I have had the honour of living amongst Belarusians and I started the blog to highlight aspects of the country which I had experienced.

However, having seen how their government ignored the people’s wishes; having seen how Belarusians stood up for their rights, even though they faced the threat of brutality and incarceration, I was moved to document some aspects of this.  I was with them when they saw their country descend into fear and hopelessness and  when the rest of the world started to forget that they had ever protested: for those who lived there, It is impossible to forget and necessary to remember. 

The blogs  also touch on history, and the sides of history that are ignored or supressed by the current Belarusian authorities.

Tragedy and the disregard of people’s suffering has a momentum of its own. My ancestors saw deportation, arrest and execution at the hands of those who sought to impose their views on others and tolerated no other opinions.

 The cycle continues. There is a resignation that it is inevitable, because those who created it don’t want to stop. Those who have influence on them don’t want to stop them, either because of ignorance, fear or self-interest. This is the real tragedy.

I believe that fear and repression  in Belarus are not inevitable. I believe in better times, even when some around me tell me I am wrong. In the meantime, it is important to understand what has happened and what is still happening, not least because the will to learn from the past and present can give us hope for a better future and to make it happen.

 This is the real theme of the blog.