DISINFO: The West organises a coup in Belarus in the name of democracy
SUMMARY
The West organises a coup d'état in Belarus in front of the whole world and its criminal activities are guised as democracy, thus tarnishing the image not only of the West but also of democracy as one of the most progressive forms of government. The West's unquenchable desire and thirst for a coup d'état in Belarus turned into apparent schizophrenia.
The majority of Belarusians did not follow the Western-inspired unrest, and President Lukashenko managed to avoid a so-called colour revolution for the country and maintain stability.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative presenting popular protests in Belarus as a “colour revolution” orchestrated by the West.
The pro-Kremlin media frequently use disinformation narratives about popular protests allegedly incited and run by the West, including, what they refer to as “colour revolutions” in post-Soviet states, the “Arab Spring”, Euromaidan in Ukraine, protests in Catalonia and the latest protests in Russia.
There is no evidence that a coup d’état was attempted in Belarus. The protests in Belarus erupted to contest the results of the presidential election on 9 August 2020, which were not monitored by independent experts, and are largely considered fraudulent by both international observers and a big part of the Belarusian society. On 19 August 2020, the European Council called Belarusian elections neither free nor fair.
Mobilisations were organised and carried out by local actors, opposition politicians and Belarusian citizens, without any foreign involvement. In October 2020, the EU-Council imposed sanctions against 40 individuals identified as responsible for repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists in the wake of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process. See the full text and the EU Council conclusions (page 10).
For more, see an analysis of the Atlantic Council.