The Chance for Freedom

It's not worth discussing Shlepkin and Pronkin.

As you can see, not only Belarusian officials but also many citizens are pampering with grabs. Just yesterday, one seemed to talk about ways to save families and oneself, volunteering, transporting personal protective equipment to hospitals. All of a sudden, having forgotten everything, one got on the computer and burst into discussing the chances of candidate Pronkin against candidate Shlepkin.

Wake up, fellow citizens. Don't fall for another provocation of the authorities. They want everyone to forget about the epidemic and start discussing Shlepkin and Pronkin. One shouldn't do that. Not because Shlepkin and Pronkin are bad at something. They may be quite nice and smart people. If Belarus had had fair elections, Lukashenka wouldn't have had a chance. He would have been destroyed in the first round by a tractor driver, a farmer, a blogger, a fitness bunny, Kashpirovsky and even a horse's ass. Pigs could fly if they had wings. In reality, Lukashenka and Yermoshina are already rubbing their hands and opening the champagne. Those who have decided to participate in it and spend time discussing these persons contribute to their celebration. Let's just do without the Aesopian language.

We can see what Lukashenka is doing. We observe him destroying his people. He creates hotbeds of infection with his twisted orders. He calls the deceased "these." The participation in the execution of the next twisted order, regardless of the greatest intentions, means to turn into the very old lady ("O sancta simplicitas!") who zealously threw brushwood into the stake Jan Hus was burnt at. This old lady never realized that she was an accessory to murder. However, you and I live in the twenty-first century; we are educated people; we use the Internet. Has all this scientific and technological progress been wasted, and those old ladies with brushwood have not yet fallen into oblivion?

They will participate in the auto-da-fe of the Belarusian people, seeking signatures, infecting themselves and infecting others. Or rather, "participate." Does anyone disagree that Lukashenka is committing a crime? All those who agree with his actions are accessories. The principle is clear: those who stand for people will ignore the continuation of the parade and the clean-up day. This subject can serve as the final point.

However, there is one more thing. I have already heard the questions: "Is this a boycott? It won't lead to anything in our situation. The election will lead to nothing either. What about Square?!" Well, let's finally break the vicious circle of "presidential elections-Square" we've driven ourselves in. We act as a portal to the free world opens once in five years, like a window to Paris in an old movie. However, it opened once in a hundred years in the movie; it turns out that Belarusians' chance for freedom opens less often than the Olympic Games.

Why? Why does Lukashenka determine our protest day? Do we miss the desire for freedom on other days? Do we have it once in five years? Of course, not. We just need to break this circle and admit that it's very comfortable when Lukashenka comes up with a date for us to take to the Square. It is always much harder to make decisions than to follow someone else's. Happiness is a lack of options.

Nothing will work if we don't make our own decisions. Lukashenka and Yermoshina think that they have already outwitted everyone. They appointed "elections" in besieged Leningrad, gave up observers, promised spoilers to personally draw the missing signatures. They know that the epidemic will not be over by August. Until it is over, street actions may become a hotbed of infection worse than a parade. As a result, a wise person will not take part in them. They hope that the sirens of ambulances on the streets of our cities will overlay their crimes. It's time to stop this.

This election day comes today, right now. It's the day to make a decision. Either to be an accessory to the crime or to prepare thoroughly to punish the offender. Either to fade away or save yourself. To get involved in meaningless reflections on the subject whether to go or not to go to the Square on August 9 or to set the date on your own. Either to accept defeat or to win. Decide quickly. The day to make a decision is today.

Iryna Khalip, especially for Charter97.org

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