Lukashenko sworn in for seventh term in Belarus, tells critics ‘you have no future'
Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in Tuesday to a seventh term, and he mocked those who derided him as 'Europe's last dictator' by saying his country has more democracy 'than those who cast themselves as its models'.
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'Half of the world is dreaming about our 'dictatorship', the dictatorship of real business and interests of our people,' Lukashenko, 70, said in his inauguration speech at the Independence Palace in the capital of Minsk.
Hundreds of opposition supporters living abroad held anti-Lukashenko rallies Tuesday to mark the anniversary of Belarus' short-lived independence in 1918 following the collapse of the Russian Empire.
Lukashenko marked three decades in power last year, and his political opponents have denounced the tightly orchestrated January 26 election as a farce. The Belarus Central Election Commission declared he won with nearly 87 per cent of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers on the ballot all praised his rule.
Opposition members have been imprisoned or exiled abroad by Lukashenko's unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech.
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Months of massive protests that were unprecedented in the history of the country of 9 million people followed the 2020 election and brought on the harsh crackdown. Over 65,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten by police and independent media outlets and non-governmental organisations were closed and outlawed, bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.
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HKFP
a day ago
- HKFP
Lawbreakers to be ‘held accountable,' China says as US airs support for activist Joshua Wong after nat. security charge
China's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong has slammed the United States for voicing support for jailed activist Joshua Wong after he was charged under the national security law, accusing Washington of 'blatantly interfering' in the city's affairs. The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong on Wednesday expressed 'strong disapproval and firm opposition,' after Washington said it 'strongly condemns' a second national security charge levelled against Wong. Wong, who is serving a four years and eight months jail sentence over conspiring to subvert state power under a Beijing-imposed national security law, was hit with a foreign collusion charge last week. The 28-year-old activist – one of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy figures – stands accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law to request foreign countries to impose sanctions or engage in hostile activities against Hong Kong or China. 'Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, where lawbreakers must be held accountable,' a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said in a statement, describing Wong as an 'anti-China element.' 'The Hong Kong police acted lawfully in handling anti-China forces, and the judiciary delivered fair rulings – this is entirely legitimate,' the spokesperson said. 'The US has repeatedly used 'human rights' and 'freedom' as pretexts to back its pawns, exposing its malicious intent,' the spokesperson added. 'Unjust sentence' Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the US State Department criticised the charge against Wong. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted. 'Wong is already serving an unjust sentence under vague national security charges simply for engaging in peaceful political activity,' the US spokesperson told US state-funded outlet the Voice of America (VOA) on Monday. The activist was among 45 convicted last year under the national security law in a case linked to primary elections in 2020. 'This tragic assault on Hong Kong's future – including the future of Joshua Wong and other activists languishing in custody or exiled for defending their fundamental freedoms – only proves Beijing never meant to keep its promises to maintain Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and civil liberties,' the US spokesperson said. 'We call on Beijing and Hong Kong officials to stop using bogus national security laws to target Hong Kongers, release all political prisoners, and drop these outrageous charges against Joshua Wong,' the spokesperson added. 'Erroneous slanders' In a statement issued on Wednesday night, the Hong Kong government also strongly condemned 'some Western countries, anti-China organisations and anti-China politicians… for making erroneous slanders and smears.' 'As the legal proceedings of the case involving Joshua Wong Chi-fung are still ongoing, it is inappropriate for any person to comment on the details of the case,' a Hong Kong government spokesperson said. The city judiciary exercises its power independently and defendants are entitled to ac fair trial, the Hong Kong spokesperson said. 'We are appalled by irresponsible remarks of some countries, organisations or individuals that seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune to legal sanctions,' the spokesperson added. Int't NGOs condemn charge The Hong Kong government statement came after international NGOs criticised the new charge against Wong. 'This latest charge against him underscores the authorities' fear of prominent dissidents and shows the lengths they will go to keep them behind bars for as long as possible – in so doing, continuing a chilling effect on civic activism in the city,' Amnesty International's China Director Sarah Brooks said in a statement last week, after Wong was brought to court to face the new allegation. 'While imprisoned under one trumped-up charge, Joshua Wong has been suddenly slapped with yet another as the authorities appear intent on keeping one of Hong Kong's most influential democracy leaders behind bars. This decision is arbitrary, cruel, and outrageous,' Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, said in a separate statement. Wong has already spent over 1,600 days in prison since being remanded in custody in November 2020 over an unauthorised assembly charge. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to subvert state power in the city's largest national security case and was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail last November. Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
All quiet on the Korean front amid reciprocal moves
All quiet on the Korean front amid reciprocal moves South Korean soldiers go about the process of putting up a loudspeaker at the border last June when the Yoon Suk-yeol administration was in place. File photo: Reuters North Korea appears to have stopped broadcasting strange and unsettling noises along the border, Seoul's military said on Thursday, a day after South Korea stopped blaring its own loudspeaker propaganda northwards. The North has been broadcasting a horror movie-esque soundtrack into border areas since last year, as part of an escalating propaganda war between the arch foes. But South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week after his predecessor was impeached over an abortive martial law declaration, ordered the military to stop blasting K-pop and news reports into the North in an attempt to "restore trust". "Today, there was no region where North Korea's noise broadcasts to the South were heard," Seoul's military said on Thursday. "The military is closely monitoring related trends in North Korea." Relations between the two Koreas have been at one of their lowest points in years, with Seoul taking a hard line towards Pyongyang, which has drawn ever closer to Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But South Korea's new president has vowed to improve relations with the North and reduce tensions on the peninsula, halting the loudspeaker broadcasts Seoul had begun last year in response to a barrage of trash-filled balloons flown southwards by Pyongyang. The North claimed the balloons – which contained toilet paper and other garbage – were retaliation for similar missives floated northwards by activists in the South, carrying anti-Kim Jong-un propaganda. North Korea resumed its own propaganda broadcasts soon after, sending strange and eerie noises – such as chilling music and what sounds like bombs exploding – into the South, prompting complaints from border residents. On Ganghwa island, which is close to the North, the strange noises were last heard on Wednesday at around 6pm, its county councillor Park Heung-yeol said. "And from 8pm to 9pm yesterday, the North broadcast its propaganda music, instead of the strange noise," he added. "I slept so well last night. I had not been able to do that for so long," another Ganghwa resident An Mi-hee said. South Korea's Lee has promised a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang, compared with his predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol. (AFP)
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
Govt condemns remarks over Joshua Wong case
Govt condemns remarks over Joshua Wong case A government spokesman has said that legal proceedings of the case are ongoing, and it is inappropriate to comment on it. File photo: RTHK The government on Wednesday strongly condemned some western countries, anti-China organisations and politicians, saying they had made false comments on the case of Joshua Wong involving the National Security Law (NSL), and the SAR's work on safeguarding national security. A government spokesman said in a statement that legal proceedings for the case are ongoing, and it is inappropriate to comment on its details. "The HKSAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons or entities concerned, which have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation," the spokesman said. "The Department of Justice of the HKSAR is in charge of criminal prosecutions under Article 63 of the Basic Law, with all its prosecutorial decisions made on an objective analysis of all admissible evidence and applicable laws." The spokesman added that Hong Kong's judiciary exercises judicial powers independently, ensuring fair trials in accordance with laws applicable to the SAR, including the NSL. "Any attempt by any country, organisation, or individual to interfere with the judicial proceedings in the HKSAR by means of political a reprehensible act undermining the rule of law of the HKSAR and should be condemned," the statement said. "We are appalled by irresponsible remarks of some countries, organisations or individuals that seemed to suggest that people with certain political beliefs should be immune to legal sanctions, or even call for release of suspects who have been arrested by the HKSAR law enforcement agencies in accordance with the law," it said. The government reaffirmed its commitment to safeguard national security in the city, while protecting the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents according to the law.
