Belarus is commonly known as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’. Alexander Lukashenko came to power in 1994 and rules with an iron fist.
The country has been caught in a Soviet style time-warp, where the secret police is still called the KGB and the president rules by fear.
Filmmaker Manon Loizeau travels to this forgotten country to find out how the people are living under this repressive regime.
Disappearances, political assassinations, and clampdowns against political opponents are common. Mass arrests for the slightest hint of rebellion are regular occurrences.
Through testimonies from opposition leaders such as Ales Bialiatski, Manon Loizeau and her camera discover a country that is divided.
On the one hand there are those who look to Moscow and accept the authoritarian power, fearing a situation similar to Ukraine, and there are others who have been resisting the government for years.
They continue to help the victims of repression and to fight for the memory of those ‘erased’ by the regime.
Check out WITNESS: The Belarus Dilemma on Al Jazeera via tonton on 28th March, 2019 at 4am and 8pm, 29th March at 9am, and 30th March at 2pm.
