On February 25, 2024, the “single voting day” for the national parliament and local councils took place in Belarus. This was likely the least free election in the history of the nation. Politically sterile, with no opposition on the ballot or in the election commissions, Lukashenka is ushering in a process that the democratic opposition calls a “special operation.”

Jakob Wollenstein

Originally published by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (reproduced with permission)

The SHAPEDEM-EU project, bringing together 12 members of the consortium, across Europe and beyond, had its first mid-term review meeting with the European Commission and appointed by the Commission independent reviewers. The Steering Committee of the project, involving all team leads, presented its work on various Work Packages, and the project's cross-cutting issues including digital transformation, ethics and gender. The Commission representative was very pleased to see the project's progress, including all the extra activities that participants initiated themselves, going well beyond the project's call, to ensure knowledge co-production and its dissemination further afield.

On December 12, 2023, Professor Korosteleva, IGSD Director, engaged in a discussion on Civil Resistance in Belarus at Europe House, London. The event shed light on Belarus' struggle against Lukashenka's regime, the impact of Russia's war on Ukraine, and ongoing repression. The screening of 'Civil Resistance: Belarus 2020+' highlighted the resilience of Belarusians amid adversity, with Lithuania supporting and sheltering those fleeing repression. The panel discussion included Prof. Elena Korosteleva, Parisa Savoji, Jon Parker, and Sir Tony Lloyd, addressing the situation and advocating for human rights. The event coincided with International Human Rights Day and the Sakharov Prize, recognizing outstanding contributions to freedom of thought. The documentary explored Lukashenka's rise to power and Belarusian resistance against his authoritarian regime. The Q&A session featured key figures discussing the challenges and aspirations of the Belarusian people.

Professor Korosteleva was interviewed by Ms Tetiana Fedosiuk, from the International Centre for Defence and Security, Estonia, during the Riga Conference. Her interview focus on 'Peoplehood in Belarus' as a crucial building block for democracy and why the hope for building still remains. This discussion was based on Elena's recent book 'Belarus in the XXI century' published by Routledge 2023. For the full interview please visit here: https://icds.ee/en/peoplehood-in-belarus-from-democracy-to-dictatorship-and-back/.

Dr Bo Kelestyn (Associate Professor, WBS, and IGSD Thematic Fellow) and Professor Gwen van der Velden (Professor of Education) were recognised for their brilliant ‘Ukrainian Summer School’ project, and received the October WOW award! Heart-felt congratulations to them both, and look forward to with Bo and Gwen- both as part of the Ukraine Working Group and IGSD ECR STS!

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