[125], Many streams and 11,000 lakes are found in Belarus. US Prez Candidate Nikki Haley Says Covid 'Likely Came from China Lab The Belarusian government sponsors annual cultural festivals such as the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk,[257] which showcases Belarusian performers, artists, writers, musicians, and actors. It existed from only 1918 to 1919 but created prerequisites for the formation of a Belarusian state. 96.19. Its net migration rate is +0.38 per 1,000, indicating that Belarus experiences slightly more immigration than emigration. After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. Wheat and rye bread are consumed in Belarus, but rye is more plentiful because conditions are too harsh for growing wheat. Communist China strongest and most disciplined enemy US ever faced The law was compared with serfdom by Lukashenko himself. [122] The average elevation of Belarus is 160m (525ft) above sea level. [130][131], Belarus borders five countries: Latvia to the north, Lithuania to the northwest, Poland to the west, Russia to the north and the east, and Ukraine to the south. When opposition protesters took to the streets in Minsk, many people, including some presidential candidates, were beaten and arrested by the riot police. Belarus country profile - BBC News [70], The western part of modern Belarus remained part of the Second Polish Republic. [269][270], The traditional Belarusian dress originates from the Kievan Rus' period. Belarus rarely receives much media attention in the West, but it has long been subjected to political interference from its neighbors, the USA, and the European Union. At first, a policy of "Belarusianization" was followed in the newly formed Byelorussian SSR. [251] President Lukashenko has stated that Orthodox and Catholic believers are the "two main confessions in our country". The Neman flows westward towards the Baltic sea and the Pripyat flows eastward to the Dnieper; the Dnieper flows southward towards the Black Sea. The state telecom monopoly, Beltelecom, holds the exclusive interconnection with Internet providers outside of Belarus. Lukashenko won the election with 80% of the vote; the Russian Federation and the CIS deemed the vote open and fair[152] while the OSCE and other organizations called the election unfair. [194] In an interview from September 2020 Lukashenko claimed that detainees faked their bruises, saying, "Some of the girls there had their butts painted in blue". info)). According to some estimates, in countries such as present-day Ukraine, GDP is supposed to be only about 90 percent of what it had been before the transition. Covid-19: How does Belarus have one of the lowest death rates - The BMJ The experts also received reports of violence against women and children, including sexual abuse and rape with rubber batons. He garnered 45% of the vote in the first round and 80%[89] in the second, defeating Vyacheslav Kebich who received 14% of the vote. Bulgaria - The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency [186] The Belarusian government is also criticized for human rights violations and its persecution of non-governmental organisations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. Belarus is dependent on Russia for imports of raw materials and for its export market. This Holocaust monument in Belarus is haunting - and subversive While the world has just five truly communist countries, socialist countries (countries whose constitutions include statements about the protection and rule of the working class) are relatively common Examples include Portugal, Sri Lanka, India, Guinea-Bissau, and Tanzania. [265][bettersourceneeded], After the Second World War, music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian people or on those who took up arms in defense of the homeland. The judiciary comprises the Supreme Court and specialized courts such as the Constitutional Court, which deals with specific issues related to constitutional and business law. The national football team has never qualified for a major tournament; however, BATE Borisov has played in the Champions League. The Belarusian Constitution forbids the use of special extrajudicial courts. Countries Sanctioned by the U.S. and Why - Investopedia As of March 2022, countries or regions subject to U.S. sanctions (either unilaterally or in part) include Afghanistan, the Balkans, Belarus, Burma, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic. [199] In August 2021, Belarusian officials, wearing uniforms, riot shields and helmets, were recorded on camera near the BelarusLithuania border pushing and urging the migrants to cross the European Union border. Soviet Union: History, leaders and legacy | Live Science Incorporation into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania resulted in an economic, political and ethno-cultural unification of Belarusian lands. The runner-up opposition leader Andrei Sannikov received less than 3% of the vote; independent observers criticized the election as fraudulent. The United States supports a sovereign, independent Belarus which respects the rights and voices of the Belarusian people. Opposition parties are permitted, but they have had little electoral success. The US has given hundreds of millions of dollars to Zimbabwe, a country with one of the most anti-American voting records in the UN. Belarus profile - Timeline - BBC News [192], On 1 September 2020, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared that its experts received reports of 450 documented cases of torture and ill-treatment of people who were arrested during the protests following the presidential election. The other countries on the list are Eritrea, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Syria, and Belarus. [219], The currency of Belarus is the Belarusian ruble. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. [107][108][109][110][111] Neither is Lukashenko recognized as the legitimate president of Belarus by the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom nor the United States. Belarus's beleaguered government remains unfazed by covid-19. [209] In either case, the councils have the power to approve or reject a nonimee for executive committee chair. The Fossilized Soviet Architecture of Belarus, in Photos Why Belarus is called Europe's last dictatorship | The Economist Tensions between NATO and Belarus peaked after the March 2006 presidential election in Belarus. [85][86], By the late 1980s, political liberalization led to a national revival, with the Belarusian Popular Front becoming a major pro-independence force. [224], In the 1990s, however, industrial production plunged due to decreases in imports, investment, and demand for Belarusian products from its trading partners. These articles were aimed to defend the rights of the Lithuanian nobility within the duchy against Polish and other nobles of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth. Lukashenko says if China is strong, Belarus is strong as well [272], Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of vegetables, meat (particularly pork), and bread. [139], In the 2012 parliamentary election, 105 of the 110 members elected to the House of Representatives were not affiliated with any political party. [139] The armed forces were formed in 1992 using parts of the former Soviet Armed Forces on the new republic's territory. Archive of Selected Revoked and Expired General Licenses 5 Views From Belarus On The Country's Political Crisis They were decorated with ornate patterns influenced by the neighboring cultures: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians, and other European nations. Neil Abrams on Twitter: "@SBauckus No, you are using the term correctly According to Article 16 of the Constitution, Belarus has no official religion. [64] The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic exists as a government in exile ever since then; in fact, it is currently the world's longest serving government in exile. [183] However, Belarus cannot join NATO because it is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. The Communist Party of Belarus won 3 seats, and the Agrarian Party and Republican Party of Labour and Justice, one each. The unemployment rate, according to government statistics, was 1.5% in 2005. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is in the midst of a three-day visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping . Belarus - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica Centered on the historical capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilna (Lithuanian: Vilnius, Polish: Wilno), for 18 months the entity served as a buffer state between Poland, upon which it depended, and Lithuania, which claimed the area. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belarus&oldid=1141790380. Belarus profile - Timeline - BBC News Numerous Belarusian players are present in the Kontinental Hockey League in Eurasia, particularly for Belarusian club HC Dinamo Minsk, and several have also played in the National Hockey League in North America. The 2007 RussiaBelarus energy dispute centered on accusations by Gazprom that Belarus was siphoning oil off of the Druzhba pipeline that runs through Belarus. ( ).-, 1940. [277], This article is about the Republic of Belarus. Along with neighbouring and mainly. Alice Neel's Communist Manifesto - ArtReview We even give money to Communist Cuba a country our own government has designated as a state sponsor of terrorism," Haley said. [155][156] Six months later amid an unprecedented economic crisis, activists utilized social networking to initiate a fresh round of protests characterized by wordless hand-clapping. [120] Norway and Japan have joined the sanctions regime which aims to isolate Belarus from the international supply chain. The Belorussian senior group earned bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. The first one was the 2004 RussiaBelarus energy dispute when Russian energy giant Gazprom ceased the import of gas into Belarus because of price disagreements. [200] Following the granting of humanitarian visas to an Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya and her husband, Poland also accused Belarus for organizing a hybrid warfare as the number of migrants crossing the BelarusPoland border sharply increased multiple times when compared to the 2020 statistics. [233] As part of the Union of Russia and Belarus, both states have discussed using a single currency along the same lines as the Euro. The former Soviet republic was occupied by the Nazis between 1941 and 1944, when it lost 2.2 million. The official version of events as publicised by the Belarusian government was questioned in the unprecedented wording of the UN Security Council statement condemning "the apparent terrorist attack" intimating the possibility that the Belarusian government itself was behind the bombing. [239][240], The banking system of Belarus consists of two levels: Central Bank (National Bank of the Republic of Belarus) and 25 commercial banks. In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. [207] It is run by an executive committee and has been granted a charter of self-rule.[208]. Belarus After Communism: Where to Now? - Illinois Wesleyan University Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.