Culture

El peligroso y falso debate de las simplificaciones

Venezuela is constantly over the news given its unprecedented economic collapse. Yet, numerous people still think that the country’s economic hardships were caused by external factors, such as declining oil prices or financial sanctions from the international community. When in reality, the Venezuelan collapse is the direct consequence of the country’s inefficient, distorted, and hostile business environment.

"Your Batska is so good! How come you don't like him?" — Belarusians don't speak that way. Nobody calls Alexander Lukashenko "Batska" in Belarus any more.

We the undersigned, European accredited diplomats who participated in diplomatic watch activities during early voting 4-8 August and on Election Day of 9 August in Belarus, would like to:

- commend all those independent observers we have met during our work, mostly outside the polling stations;

- thank explicitly those members of the electoral commissions who welcomed us wholeheartedly and were open for a constructive cooperation;

- applaud those heads of polling station who assured a fair counting of the votes;

Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets to revolt after the country’s Central Election Commission announced that Alexander Lukashenko had won with 80.23% of the presidential election vote on Sunday.

Students For Liberty leader and civil rights activist, Piotr Markielau, will spend 12 days in prison for supporting a family of political prisoners on hunger strike

There is a dramatic and worrying informational blackout in Venezuela. The regime censored all traditional media outlets. Social media has become more deception than information. And as if these problems were not enough, most Venezuelans don't even have internet access.

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Since 2013, the Venezuelan economy has been in free fall. In just seven years, the country’s gross domestic product has lost nearly 70 percent of its value. This economic collapse represents the largest in the modern history of the western hemisphere.

Real Heroes: Witold Pilecki