Blackout: Inside Belarus, Europe's Last Dictatorship - VICE News - General

[video]https://youtu.be/suIhQKbIfLA[/video]

Fascinating. Amazing that such obvious repression can still exist in today's world. Good on the journalists and the people fighting against this blackout.

It's not that bad how report presents it, but there are tons of issues rooting from «soviet mentality» which is also present in Ukraine and Russia. My fav example is at 4:20. In general public it is frowned upon discussing corruption and other problems. This woman's position is that it's bad showing waste ground where local authorities promised to build a park, got funds for it, but never delivered their promise. Like this man is somehow obliged to only record and show pretty places and not the ugly ones. Also video doesn't state it in subtitles, but some people there also speak in Belarusian. Belarus has two official languages: Russian and Belarusian. Though majority speaks Russian. As for Belarusian, in general public and unofficially by government structures, it's considered as a language of an opposition. Fun-fact: president of Belarus doesn't know Belarusian language and speaks hillbilly mix of Russian and Belarusian called «trasianka». You can look it up on wiki.

There's Transnistria, that's pretty much a dictatorship too

[QUOTE=shott;50657899]It's not that bad how report presents it, but there are tons of issues rooting from «soviet mentality» which is also present in Ukraine and Russia. My fav example is at 4:20. In general public it is frowned upon discussing corruption and other problems. This woman's position is that it's bad showing waste ground where local authorities promised to build a park, got funds for it, but never delivered their promise. Like this man is somehow obliged to only record and show pretty places and not the ugly ones. Also video doesn't state it in subtitles, but some people there also speak in Belarusian. Belarus has two official languages: Russian and Belarusian. Though majority speaks Russian. As for Belarusian, in general public and unofficially by government structures, it's considered as a language of an opposition. Fun-fact: president of Belarus doesn't know Belarusian language and speaks hillbilly mix of Russian and Belarusian called «trasianka». You can look it up on wiki.[/QUOTE] I went to Minsk last year to take part in a programming competition. It was sort of surreal how much soviet stuff remains like symbols in the metro and art on the walls of apartment buildings. Also the almost threatening posters in the Belarusian State University against studying abroad. At one point we stopped for a minute in front of a building, which turned out to be a government related building (even though it looked like any other) and some guy in camo came out and told us to move along. It felt like I was half way from Russia to North Korea. Also indeed no-one spoke actual Belarusian, we only heard Russian.

[QUOTE=Perl;50658097]Also the almost threatening posters in the Belarusian State University against studying abroad[/QUOTE] Wait what?

[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;50658409]Wait what?[/QUOTE] Generally a Dictator doesn't want his country's people going to schools in other countries to study because they could see how much better of a life they could have under a different form of government or learn things that will turn them against said dictator.

[QUOTE=Bbarnes005;50659363]Generally a Dictator doesn't want his country's people going to schools in other countries to study because they could see how much better of a life they could have under a different form of government or learn things that will turn them against said dictator.[/QUOTE] I sometimes wonder whether the extraordinary amounts of Chinese students from the elite studying abroad poses a threat to their regime

[QUOTE=Perl;50658097]Also the almost threatening posters in the Belarusian State University against studying abroad.[/QUOTE] would you mind showing us a few translated examples?

[QUOTE=Perl;50658097]. Also the almost threatening posters in the Belarusian State University against studying abroad[/QUOTE] Actually I've finished Belarusian State University this year and never have seen any. Though it might depend on the faculty. There's a possibility that posters were placed by another government party or a 3rd party. On a second though I remember some posters that where recommending to avoid shady foreign job opportunities in concerns of being enslaved. In fact BSU has many international programs [url]http://ums.bsu.by/en/about-yjsg[/url] [QUOTE=Perl;50658097]At one point we stopped for a minute in front of a building, which turned out to be a government related building (even though it looked like any other) and some guy in camo came out and told us to move along[/QUOTE] Yeah, another example of soviet mentality. It's restricted to take pictures in subway, to take pictures of any government related building. It's even restricted to take pictures on a central train station. Though those restrictions are not harsh and aren't even mentioned in any law. It's just that those guys in camo were given order to prevent such actions. [QUOTE=Bbarnes005;50659363]Generally a Dictator doesn't want his country's people going to schools in other countries to study because they could see how much better of a life they could have under a different form of government or learn things that will turn them against said dictator.[/QUOTE] Not the case for Belarus. At least for a while, though politics discuss problem of a so called «brain emigration». But it is accepted that it's due to low salaries, job opportunities and pretty low scientific development. You can read about Turkmenistan which has much harsher restrictions in everything. Some russians fear that eventually, in some form or another, they will also have similar prohibitions [url]http://varlamov.ru/1746027.html[/url] [quote]Turkmen students are not even allowed to study in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, since they might accidentally taste the air of freedom and then come back demanding respect for human rights. It is also practically impossible for doctors and journalists to leave the country. There is an interesting paragraph in this law: a person is not allowed to leave the country if it “contradicts the interests of the national security of Turkmenistan.” Obviously, anyone can be fitted for this criteria. But there is an even more convenient paragraph: a person’s departure can be denied if “there are concerns” that he might be enslaved while abroad.[/quote]

[QUOTE=FlashMarsh;50663689]I sometimes wonder whether the extraordinary amounts of Chinese students from the elite studying abroad poses a threat to their regime[/QUOTE] If they're elite, probably not. Elites benefit from corrupt systems.

[QUOTE=Lord of Boxes;50663720]would you mind showing us a few translated examples?[/QUOTE] Sorry, I didn't take any pictures inside the university. [QUOTE=shott;50664774]Actually I've finished Belarusian State University this year and never have seen any. Though it might depend on the faculty. There's a possibility that posters were placed by another government party or a 3rd party. On a second though I remember some posters that where recommending to avoid shady foreign job opportunities in concerns of being enslaved.[/QUOTE] I meant the ones that had like a photo of an apartment, the text was something about this family's daughter going to study abroad and no longer existing. I forgot, it's been a while. It's also possible that the Russian guys in our group didn't correctly translate them.