Caution, Doors Closing
4- 2.04.2025, 12:15
- 21,590
Belarusians are used to restricted access to information.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, things have not necessarily started, but they have certainly worsened. Birth rates, mortality, exports, and imports—first selectively, then entirely—fell under restrictions. Now, the ability to check online whether one is banned from leaving Belarus has also been removed. The government is becoming increasingly secretive about repression. And about all other problems, even the quality of potatoes, so they don't stand out, writes planbmedia.
Caution, Doors Closing
Previously, individuals could check unpaid traffic fines and travel restrictions through their personal account on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website. However, as Mediazona has noted, this feature has now been removed. The tool was highly popular, especially among those critical of the regime. Nearly everyone leaving Belarus for political reasons would check their status online before choosing a safe route to exit the country.
Now, Belarusians can only verify travel restrictions by visiting the Citizenship and Migration Department of the local police office in person.
Additionally, access to the schedule of court hearings on the Supreme Court’s website has been blocked since March 5. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the website claims to be undergoing "maintenance work," making the information unavailable.
Previously, the court schedule provided details such as hearing dates, defendants' names, and charges against them. Amid escalating repression, this was often the only way to gauge the scale of political persecution and learn about new victims. Many arrests and trials remained unknown until names appeared in court schedules.
Furthermore, the “Special Proceedings” section on the website, which listed trials in absentia against Belarusians who had fled the country, is now also inaccessible. This section included details of verdicts handed down to political exiles.
The Less You Know, the Better You Sleep
The use of euphemistic language and intricate methods of withholding information has long been a practice of Belarusian authorities, inherited from the Soviet era. For example, even reports about potato shortages in stores illustrate this trend. A local news outlet (not an exiled one, but a state-affiliated source) recently published an article on potato quality in stores, revealing that potatoes were either excessively expensive or visibly spoiled—wrinkled, moldy, and rotten. The report included store addresses, customer complaints, and detailed descriptions of poor-quality produce.
However, officials denied the issue outright. "Available in almost all stores!" they declared, adding that potatoes were missing in only 3% of retail locations due to delays in deliveries or rejection of poor-quality stock. Meanwhile, 10% of stores were selling potatoes that failed to meet regulatory standards.
Interestingly, these regulatory standards are quite lenient. Potatoes cannot have cuts, cracks, or dents deeper than 4 mm and longer than 10 mm, nor can they have scab, wart disease, or wireworm damage covering more than a quarter of their surface. Greened potatoes (if more than 25% of their surface is discolored), rodent-damaged, frostbitten, or rotten potatoes are also banned.
The gap between what Belarusians expect from store-bought potatoes and what the government considers "acceptable" quality is striking.
Officials insist that the country has over 17,000 tons of potatoes in storage, enough to last until the end of the season. "So, there is no problem," stated Irina Muronchik, head of the monitoring department at the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade. "Yes, the quality is lacking in some cases," she admitted.
But poor quality is the problem! Yet, instead of addressing it, authorities choose to highlight that state potato reserves exceed the planned target by 116%.
The old system—where people ask questions and the government provides answers—no longer functions. Now, the government controls both the questions and the answers.
Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims
You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com
