(Belarus) - '..the authorities have declared war on their people..'

'The Belarusian Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich has condemned brutal police violence against demonstrators across Belarus, saying "the authorities have declared war on their people" and the President Alyaksandr Lukashenka should step down from power to prevent a bloody civil war.'

- Nobel Laureate Alexievich Says Lukashenka 'Declared War' On Belarusian People, August 13, 2020



'..Your power of ‘black [batons’] is your major weakness,” Spivakov said in the open letter to Lukashenko.'

' “Today, my heart beats in unison with the people of the Republic of Belarus, who rightfully demand respect for basic rights and freedoms, including the right to peaceful protests,” Spivakov said.

..

..Your power of ‘black [batons’] is your major weakness,” Spivakov said in the open letter to Lukashenko.'

- Russian Violinist and Conductor Spivakov Rejects Lukashenko Award Over Belarus Crackdown, August 13, 2020



'..Start-ups are born in an atmosphere of freedom and openness .. "The high-tech sector, it’s all about trust, not about expensive hardware or equipment"..'

'On August 12, scores of chief executives from Belarus’s leading tech companies and leading investors called on Lukashenka to hold a new election, and to halt the police violence that has roiled the country and resulted in thousands of arrests.

If that doesn’t happen, the executives said in their open letter, they will take their businesses out of Belarus.

“Conditions are being formed in the country in which a tech business cannot function,” the letter said. “Start-ups are not born in an atmosphere of fear and violence. Start-ups are born in an atmosphere of freedom and openness."

“There is a risk that in a short time all the achievements in the field of high technology will be wiped out,” they wrote.

..

“The high-tech sector, it’s all about trust, not about expensive hardware or equipment. How can you build anything if trust has been violated?” said Tsapkala, who was disqualified as a candidate to challenge Lukashenka and fled Belarus in July amid rumors he was about to be arrested.

..

When the tech park was originally being set up, Tsapkala said promoters had to overcome perceptions from foreign companies, and investors, that the Lukashenka government was a violent regime.

“We tried to convince them it wasn’t that bad,” he said. “But in the end, it appears that it is much worse. Much, much, much worse.” '

- Another Casualty Of The Brutal Belarus Crackdown: Minsk’s Thriving IT Sector, August 13, 2020



Context

'According to an exit poll conducted at 21 Belarusian diplomatic posts, Tsikhanouskaya garnered 81.5 percent of the vote compared to about 6 percent for Lukashenka.'

- Police Crack Down On Protests In Belarus After Exit Poll Shows Lukashenka Winning In Landslide

Belarusians Brave Beatings, Detentions As Postelection Pressure Piles On Lukashenka, August 13, 2020