A conversation with Andrei Bastunets, chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). By Iurii Melnyk, Delfina Ertanowska and Ani Meladze.
The political upheaval of 1989 in Poland, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and ultimately the collapse of the USSR seemed to be a gust of western wind that brought seeds for democracy and the building of a democratic society. Since democracy in post-communist societies, was born in pain and economic crisis, it was not easy to change the political, economic and, most importantly, the mental system. More than thirty years of striving to meet the so-called European standards up to 2021 have not always led to the expected results: Russian aggression against Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, annexation of Crimea, problems with democracy and the rule of law in Poland and Hungary, and finally one of the most brutal and dramatic twists in Belarus.
We talked to Andrei Bastunets about the current situation in Belarus, the media, censorship and propaganda, as well as about the perspectives of democracy in his homeland.
Mr. Bastunets, how do you assess the situation in the media space in Belarus after the events of 2020 and the subsequent persecution of the remnants of independent media in Belarus? What is the role of the Belarusian media working from abroad?
It is known that the situation of Belarusian media is very bad. This is an absolutely obvious answer, because the legislative regulation of media activities, and the practice of application of the media law destroy the freedom of speech, but I would disagree with the wording of the question about the remnants of independent media. Actually independent media – even if they are not published in print, even if they have not been allowed to go on air for a long time – continue their work. Some of them were indeed deployed and work from Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Lithuania, but they continue to work for Belarus. The modern information space allows to do that. In Belarus, there are also our colleagues, who continue their activities. Therefore, I would not talk about the remnants of the media, but rather about a difficult situation from which the Belarusian media are trying to find a way out. We are all discussing this now: how to continue our work here and now more effectively.
It has happened before that elections got manipulated by the government. What has changed in the 2020 elections compared to previous ones?
Compared to the situation before the 2020 elections the situation has changed dramatically, and not only in the field of media.We have more than 600 political prisoners, tens of thousands of people go abroad, and not because they are looking for a better life, but because they are afraid for their life and freedom. It is clear that independent media could not fall under this blow. They did. The situation is extremely difficult and it affects the entire public sector, all the activists, who are not even directly related to politics. Our organization, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, on August 27th this year, was closed by the decision of the Supreme Court. A huge number of Internet resources are banned, they are accused of disseminating extremist information. Most print media are liquidated, because they have no possibilities to print, nor to disseminate its production within the country. Twenty eight of my colleagues, most of whom I know personally and who are my friends, are in jail, behind bars. Of course, the situation changed after 2020, but the media continue to work.
How about your personal experience of relations with the regime – as the head of the BAJ and as an inhabitant of Belarus?
If we take a little more than the last year, I was detained seven times in my apartment, to conduct a search in the organizationbuilding. Eight people burst into my son’s apartment with machine guns, he and his girlfriend were laid face down on the floor and another search was made. My organization was searched twice, twice after this search, the office was sealed, and it is still sealed, the organization were closed, the bank account was blocked, although there was almost nothing on them. I was interrogated three times by the Investigative Committee. Well, that’s the story. I had no intention of leaving the country, my tough decision was to stay in the country, but at one moment I realized that it would not work. Therefore, now I am talking to you from Vilnius, Lithuania. Otherwise, I think that I would not have been able to talk at all.
You mentioned the internet’s ability to circumvent restrictions. We saw how successful the Nexta Telegram channel was during the Belarusian protests. Can we say that such projects are the main hope of Belarusian journalism in the current conditions?
I represent the journalistic community that confesses to certain professional approaches and professional ethics. These channels, that you are talking about, are rather manifestations of civic activism, media activism. There is a big difference between professional journalistic work and activism. So, I am not convinced that Nexta and other Telegram channels adhere to these standards… This is a big mistake of the Belarusian authorities, which are now closing independent magazines, newspapers, Internet websites that tried to present information in accordance with all journalistic standards. When they were blocked, Telegram channels took the first place. But I would note that independent media resources that adhere to all the standards, also went to Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, and began to use these channels in order to deliver information.
Then one more question about Belarusian media activists, as you call them. How would you comment on the incident with Protasevich, his detention in Minsk and his subsequent statements?
There are two points I would like to make. Firstly, the whole story with the plane landing in Minsk, with those sanctions, which were introduced for air traffic with Belarus and over Belarus, show that, unfortunately, for European states, the problem of national security in much more relevant, than the human rights issue. Unfortunately, because since August 2020, people have been killed, imprisoned and detained in Belarus, but only this incident with the landing of the plane led to some kind of tough sanctions from EU-states. Secondly, Protasevich, being in a difficult situation, being threatened etc., made a deal with the authorities. We see the consequences of this deal now, but I do not want to condemn or evaluate it. And as I said: he is not a journalist but an activist.
In this case, how do the Belarusian citizens perceive the Western sanctions against Belarus? And more broadly: what steps, what actions do you expect from the West in relation to the situation in Belarus?
In addition to airspace, the land border of Belarus is also practically closed – it is closed by the Belarusian authorities. It means that Belarusian citizens cannot leave the country without any exceptional circumstances, neither to Ukraine, nor to Lithuania, nor to Poland, nor anywhere except Russia. Although there are some restrictions for going to Russia as well. Now the airspace is also closed, and this time by theEuropean countries. In this way we, Belarusians, ended up being in a concentration camp, in a locked-up space. But I cannot speak on behalf of an ordinary Belarusian citizen, my field is journalism.
Regarding journalism: In your opinion, is there a difference between the Kremlin’s information machine and the Belarusian state propaganda?
There is no fundamental difference, there is a difference in economic opportunities, which are much less in Belarus. We monitor both pro-Russian propaganda in the Belarusian media and pro-government propaganda. Unfortunately, this cannot be called journalism.
It is obvious that the Russian state is trying to imitate pluralism and to give voice to the costumed “opposition”. In Belarus, they do not even try to play these games.
Yes, there are no real oppositionists, but the same Protasevich, whom you mentioned, or Voskresensky, are portrayed as representatives of the opposition. The TV shows them acting as repentant oppositionists. In fact, it is difficult for me to answer your question, because I do not watch much Russian TV. But from what I watch, I can say that Belarusian TV is a pathetic attempt to follow the Russian one.
What is the mood of the Belarusian society in relation to the neighboring Baltic countries, Poland, Ukraine? Taking into consideration the help that they give to repressed Belarusians?
In my opinion, normal Belarusians do not expect any threat either from the Baltic states, or from Ukraine and Poland, or from the West. This threat is escalated by the belarussian state mass media and, in fact, the users of these media can share this threat. I think that most Belarusians love our neighbours, more than ever, we see how Belarusians are now forced to travel to all countries from their homeland, and there is no reverse process.
There are examples of democratic transformations in the post-Soviet space: besides the aforementioned Baltic states and Ukraine, this is also Georgia. The logic of history suggests that sooner or later Belarus will also have to follow this path. But taking into account the Belarusian experience of dictatorship for more than a quarter of a century, is democratization of Belarus a question of one man, the dictator? So, if he disappears, everything will fall into place, or everything is more complicated?
Of course, everything is more complicated. At least because this dictator has his environment, there are people who are involved in all the processes, there are children, about whom he himself said that he prepares the youngest one for the role of president. On the other hand, I think that none of the experiences of these countries you spoke about is applicable now, because these are different conditions, different times, different possibilities. But for me Belarus is an absolutely European country. If the political situation changes, if the dictator, who has been holding the power for a quarter of a century, loses it, Belarus has enormous opportunities to take its rightful place – sorry for the pathos – in the family of European nations. As well as to show good results in the field of human rights, economics … But today, unfortunately, those Belarusians who are in favor of change are forced to leave the country or are in prison, or wait for someone to come for them. Unfortunately, this is how it all looks today.
