DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
- Outlet: 216news.tn ( archive, original ) , addiyar.com ( archive, original ) , akhbarak.net ( archive, original ) , alerfannews.com ( archive, original ) , almayadeen ( archive, original ) , lanationarabe.com ( archive, original ) , arabic.rt.com ( archive, original ) , dmcnews.org ( archive, original ) , headtopics.com ( archive, original ) , iraqnews-in.com ( archive, original ) , kachaf.com ( archive, original ) , kol-masr.com ( archive, original ) , lomazoma.com ( archive, original ) , nabd.com ( archive, original ) , newsformy.com ( archive, original ) , rtarab.com ( archive, original ) , sahafah24 ( archive, original ) , sahafaty.com ( archive, original ) , sahafaty.com ( archive, original ) , sns.sy ( archive, original )
- Date of publication: October 27, 2020
- Countries / regions discussed: US, Belarus, Russia
DISINFO: “Colour revolution” attempts to change Belarus government
SUMMARY
The “colour revolution” in Belarus had several goals, among them disrupting the integration of the Union state with Russia, and sabotaging the federal state’s relations between Moscow and Minsk.
Recently, with political and financial support from the West, an attempt has been made to change the government in the Republic of Belarus.
The United States is providing technical assistance to the “colour revolutions” by inflaming tensions and undermining the domestic political situation in some countries.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative framing popular protests as Western-backed 'colour revolutions', part of a campaign to portray massive mobilisations in Belarus as a destabilisation effort orchestrated from abroad. No evidence is provided to support the allegations.
On the contrary, tens of thousands of protesters opposing long-time President Alexander Lukashenko are still protesting and have marched through the capital despite threats of force from authorities to open fire.
Opposite to the claim about colour revolutions, protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential election in Belarus on the 9th of August, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a large part of the Belarusian society.
On 19 August 2020, the European Council called the Belarus elections neither free nor fair and on 2 October 2020, the Council imposed restrictive measures against 40 individuals identified as responsible for repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members, and journalists, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process. Mobilisations were organised and carried out by local actors, opposition politicians, and Belarusian citizens, without any foreign involvement.
See other examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives in Belarus, such as claims that the EU reaction to Lukashenko’s victory is an example of Western double standards; that the West wants to prepare another Maidan in the country; or that Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Russians are one single nation.