Belarus’ Civil Society: Rise or Fall?

Belarus in Focus Information Office, Press Club Belarus, Nashe Mnenie, and the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS) invite you to the international discussion of the Belarusian Expert-Analytical Club.
The last year was extremely turbulent for the civil society in Belarus. It featured the appearance of tens of thousands of volunteers and house-checks of hundreds of activists. There was an explosive growth of new initiatives and local communities against the background of the forced emigration of the experienced activists and leaders of organizations. There were numerous all-time records in crowdfunding and criminal cases for paying fines as “financing protest activities”.
Questions:
1) What were the main losses of civil society last year, and what were its main successes?
2) How has the public image of civic organizations and initiatives changed? Does the smear campaign in the state media affect it?
3) Delayed effect: which of the events of the past year will have the greatest impact on the future of civic organizations and initiatives in Belarus?
Keynote peakers:
• Andrej Stryzhak – cofounder of BYSOL solidarity fund and the initiative to help medical workers #ByCovid19;
• Uladzimir Labkovich – representative of Viasna Human Rights Center;
• Stanislava Terentyeva – YMCA Viciebsk, co-leader of zadvizh_ka civil initiative;
• Daria Rublevskaya – ex-member of the council of Belarusian Students’ Association

Видео Belarus’ Civil Society: Rise or Fall? канала Press Club Belarus