Women are Rising in a Revolt in Belarus

Belarus is awash with women who are demanding change. They want freedom, equality, and democracy right now. These women are standing up against the current Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is widely known for his bigotry, patriarchal views, and for his misogynistic comments.

Commenting about activist and presidential challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the head of state said: “Our Constitution is not suitable for a woman. Our society is not ready to vote for a woman. Because the Constitution gives strong authority to the president.”

For Freedom

The protests are happening in the wake of Tsikhanouskaya and other women from Belarus taking a stand on discrimination against women in Belarus. Shockingly, this has included threats of sexual violence against the children of these activists as well.

According to Tsikhanouskaya, she received a phone call saying: “We will put you behind bars and place your children in an orphanage.” In response, Tsikhanouskaya decided to send her children overseas to reside with their grandmother out of potential harm’s way.

The threats followed Tsikhanouskaya deciding to run for president. Her decision was sparked when her husband, a popular blogger who was hoping to run for president himself, was imprisoned before he could register to go up against Aleksandr Lukashenko, the current leader of Belarus.

After Tsikhanouskaya registered her candidacy, Lukashenko responded by saying: “She just cooked a tasty cutlet, maybe fed the children, and the cutlet smelled nice, and now there’s supposed to be a debate about some issues.” This blatantly misogynistic statement and the threats against her children did not deter Tsikhanouskaya from her path.

Despite this harrowing experience, the activist decided to continue with her campaign, saying: “There must be a symbol of freedom.”

Up Against “Europe’s Last Dictator”

Belarus’s women have become the driving force behind a movement to topple Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is known as the last dictator in Europe. Every weekend, tens of thousands of people continue to flood the streets of Minsk to protest. Scores of women take to the streets holding flowers, trying to avoid being arrested by the police. Women who are taking part in the protests are excited about females gaining strength in the situation and assuming a more significant role. Activist Tatiana Kotes said, “Men’s dominating role in society has collapsed.” This was evident in the protests that began erupting in Minsk and other cities across Belarus.

Belarusians Unifying Against Dictatorship

Women like Tsikhanouskaya and her colleagues Veronika Tsepkalo, wife of politician Valery Tsepkalo, and Maria Kolesnikova, politician Viktor Babariko’s campaign presenter, took a leading role in a campaign against Lukashenko. Subsequently, more and more females began to step up in the protests that erupted across Belarus. Cities became a danger zone filled with conflict as police officers arrested thousands of protestors, even beating and torturing some of them.

As the country continued to slide into discord and violence, women took center stage at Minsk’s central market. A group consisting of hundreds of women formed a protest that was so noticeably peaceful that even the most uncompromising riot police officer would hesitate to resort to brute force. The women arrived at the market hand-in-hand. They formed a human chain, leaving the police confounded about what their response should be. Beating or torturing unarmed and ostensibly harmless women in public would risk placing law enforcement up for humiliation. Activist Ksenia Fyodorova said: “They didn’t expect that a woman could stand against them.”

Fighting for the Future of Their Children – Peacefully

Even in the face of sanctioned brutality, the women who are part of the protests responded with gentleness and peace. Expecting brute force to be enough to crush protests, Lukashenko was so startled that he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help the day after the peaceful march ended.

Lukashenko’s initial response was to isolate the women who played leading roles in the peaceful protests and drive them out of the country. As events unfolded, masked police officers arrested hundreds of female protestors. Some of the officers were visibly uncomfortable with their own actions. Thankfully, the authorities released most of the women from custody after they were fingerprinted and photographed. Even though they went through this ordeal, the activist women of Belarus are now known across the world for their courage to stand up for their beliefs and their peers’ rights.

Thank you, Lukashkenko!

Ironically, Lukashenko unconsciously advanced the cause of feminism. The leader of Belarus scorned women with such impudence that he painted himself as a picture of misogyny and thus made himself into an easy target for disdain from a world that is increasingly focused on gender equality.