The Youth Bloc ( be, Моладзевы блок, ''Moladzevy blok'') is a Belarusian social movement that emerged as an association of social activists and bloggers during the

2019 Belarusian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Belarus on 17 November 2019.Poznan, Poland. The Youth Bloc is represented in the

Coordination Council Coordination Council may refer to: * Coordination Council (Afghanistan) * Coordination Council of Leftist Forces, a political alliance in Azerbaijan * Coordination Council (Belarus), an opposition council of Belarusians aiming to transfer power fr ...

and is an associate member of the International Federation of Liberal Youth.

Goals and activities

According its website, the Youth Bloc is especially focused on researching the values and views of the Belarusian youth, organizing an informal school on the problem of inhumane drug policy, supporting political education and reforming the Belarusian army, as well as the anti-drug legislation, the Parliament of the Republic of Belarus and compulsory assignment of students.

History

Foundation

Initially, the Youth Bloc consisted of eight young people who were registered as candidates for the 2019 Belarusian parliamentary election. The official intention of Youth Bloc was to put youth issues on the agenda in Belarus by organizing small street protests and pickets, online campaigns, or street campaigning. The Youth Bloc was formed of activists from the initiatives

Belarusian Students' Association The Belarusian Students' Association (BSA) is the oldest youth organization of independent Belarus with the self-proclaimed goal of "consolidation of the Belarusian student movement for the revival of the principles of democracy, legality and fulf ...

, "Studying is more important" and Legalize Belarus. All eight activists ran as candidates for the

Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly The Belarusian Social Democratic Assembly (BSDH; be, Беларуская сацыял-дэмакратычная Грамада; БСДГ, Bielaruskaja sacyjal-demakratyčnaja Hramada; russian: Белорусская социал-демокра� ...

. Among them was also pro-democracy activist

Alana Gebremariam Alana Tadege Gebremariam (Belarusian language, Belarusian Алана Таде́ге Гебрэмарыям, Russian language, Russian Алана Таде́ге Гебремариам; born March 7, 1997) is a Belarusian opposition, Belarusian pro ...

. In late 2019, the Youth Bloc organized several demonstrations, including a protest against mandatory voting. On the last day of campaigning, on November 16, the Youth Bloc organized a "rave rally" in the historical center of Minsk. The activists called for people to come to the polls on the main voting day and vote for the candidates of the Youth Bloc. The meeting brought together about 100 people, making it the largest election event of the entire parliamentary campaign. According to the official results, none of the Youth Bloc candidates passed to the House of Representatives. Election observers from the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

said that "fundamental freedoms were disregarded and the integrity of the election process was not adequately safeguarded".

After the Parliamentary elections 2019

After the elections, the Youth Bloc decided to continue its activities. On May 8, 2020, the Youth Bloc organized a performance against the authorities’ decision to maintain the parade despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The activists carried a coffin along Independence Avenue where the official parade rehearsal took place. Four of the activists were subsequently detained; two of them were sentenced to 13 and 5 days of detention. In the same month, the association launched a website about people who died from the coronavirus in Belarus. The creators plan to tell a short biography or memories about each victim of the epidemic. In the run-up to the

2020 Belarusian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August. Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in offi ...

, the Youth Bloc supported the protest movement, but did not openly support any of the candidates. On July 29, 2020, Youth Bloc activist Piotr Markelau was arrested near the building of the pre-trial detention center No. 1 for an action of solidarity with a detained political prisoner. Markelau subsequently received 10 days of arrest. On September 16, 2020, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in a speech described several phases of an attempted "destruction of Belarus". In this context, he also mentioned the Youth Bloc: Alana-gebremariam

On November 12, 2020, on the so-called "Black Thursday", the apartments of a number of activists of the Youth Bloc and the

were searched. Some activists, including

, were detained and placed in the KGB detention center. The activists Danila Lauretski and Elizaveta Prokopchik managed to escape from KGB persecution and moved to Ukraine by illegally crossing the border with Russia. Gebremariam was later recognized as a political prisoner along with other defendants in the case and sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. She was released in November 2022. In September 2022, the online resources of the Youth Bloc were recognized as an extremist formation by the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

External links

Official website

References

{{Reflist, 2 2020–2021 Belarusian protests Belarusian opposition Youth organizations based in Belarus