I. Introducing the Free Belarus 2010 Action Pack What is the action?

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2 I. Introducing the Free Belarus 2010 Action Pack What is the action? V. Document your actions! Photo / video submission form Submit your photos / videos to JEF Europe to share your actions with the world! II.The need for the Belarus Action Introduction as to why we should raise awareness of the need to Free Belarus! III. A history of the Free Belarus Street Actions Media coverage submission form Submit copies of the media coverage you gained to further publicise your action! VI. Disclaimer A brief introduction on how the annual Free Information on how to stay safe and within Belarus street actions have progressed! the boundaries of the law during your action! IV.Communicate your actions! Leaflet Leaflet which you can print and distribute to the public during your action! Customisable website / blog post Information that you can easily customise to post on your website! GET INVOLVED: - Visit our website: - Follow us on - Contact us on: belarus@jef.eu!

3 JEF Europe would like to invite you, your friends, family and everyone in your network to take part in a global public action in your local area for a free and democratic Belarus! Who can get involved? The Free Belarus action is an annual global protest where young people around the world simultaneously show their aversion to Europe's only remaining dictatorship by means of street actions. Everyone! The beauty of the Free Belarus Action is that any person can take part where-ever they are in the world! During the last action on 18th March 2010, statues in 125 cities on 5 continents were gagged by countless young people. Each year JEF Europe hopes to increase the number of people involved in the action and spread the influence of the message worldwide! We invite you and anyone you can rally to join you to take part. How do young people protest? How can I organise an action? This year on 16th December, young people around the globe assemble and set about gagging as many statues as possible in their local area, town or city to symbolically prevent them from speaking, much like the current pre-electoral situation for many Belarusian citizens. This pack has been created to provide you with all the tools you will need to create and stage your own action, advertise and inform others and generate media coverage - why not invite politicians, celebrities or other prominent local figures to join you and increase your influence! Don t forget to forward this pack to all the organisations, friends or other parties who you think may be interested in participating and register your action before 10th December 2010 by ing belarus@jef.eu stating your name, country and organisation (if applicable)! What is the Free Belarus Action? Young people are known for their creativity and innovation previous participants in the Free Belarus Action have gagged statues with an EU flag, or with EU colours, created banners and signs bearing the slogan Europe, Give the People of Belarus a Voice!" Other participants have gagged friends, passers-by, phone boxes and anything that could symbolise free speech! When does the action take place? For the past five years, the action took place on the night of the 18th March, the anniversary of the disputed presidential elections in Belarus. This year JEF Europe decided to organise the action on 16th December because the elections on 19th December are already criticised to be unfair and unfree by several observors including the OSCE. Although those involved can choose any time of day to take part in the action, previous experience has shown it is usually better to carry out the action at night; this way the banners and gags are less likely to be removed immediately. And who is JEF actually? JEF is a supranational, politically pluralist youth NGO with about 30,000 members in over 30 European countries. The goal of JEF is the creation of a democratic European federation as a guarantee for peace and a more free, just and democratic society. JEF fosters European citizenship, works for the widening and deepening of the EU and aims at bringing Europe closer to the citizens. Our ideas are spread through international activities and youth exchanges, publications, public actions and co-operation with other youth organisations. Read more in Short intro to JEF on 3

4 The Political Messages: A. United Europe The European Union is a successful project of peace and democracy, but JEF cannot recognise the project as completed until all citizens of Europe enjoy living in peaceful and democratic societies. In order to meet the challenges of an ever changing global world, the European Union must play a more active role in international politics. B. Facing Global Challenges JEF condemns all forms of dictatorship! The commitment to human rights, the rule of law and freedom is the strongest answer to undemocratic and oppressive regimes and the best way to preserve the cornerstones of the federalist ideology. After having served two terms as the President of Belarus since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko gained more than 80% of the votes on 18 March 2006 for a third term. He intimidated and threatened the opposition before and after the presidential elections and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) declared that the elections had failed to meet democratic standards and that citizens were not allowed to freely and fairly express their will at the ballot box. Also in the run-up to the elections on 19 December 2010, observors are already raising eyebrows about the uncontrollable early-voting system, the unequal access to the media and the fact that there is no guarantee that the elections will be conducted in a transparant manner as the opposition is clearly underrepresented in the electoral commissions. The EU can only with difficulty promote democratisation all over the globe if it tolerates such an oppressive regime in its own backyard! C. Free Belarus and a more united and stronger EU Foreign Policy Belarus, often described as Europe s last dictatorship, is a country where a dictatorship still very much rules the land. It is a nation where freedom of the press, the establishment of NGOs and respect for human rights are still distant dreams. Belarus is on our doorstep, not at the other side of the world. But somehow Europe is incapable of responding to the serious human rights violations present. Why? Foreign policy traditionally stays one of the key responsibilities of nation states. EU Member States have a hard time giving up some of their foreign policy powers thus rendering the European decision-making process more incoherent and ineffective. The EU clearly lacks federal, modern and effective tools and institutions in foreign policy. The Young European Federalists ask the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, to foster greater co-operation between Member States and European Institutions to put the Belarusian dictatorship to a stop. If the internal situation in Belarus does not improve in terms of human rights, the rule of law and more political rights and fundamental freedoms for the citizens, the EU should continue to apply its restrictive measures such as the freezing of assets and reintroduce the travel and visa restrictions against high officials of the undemocratic regime by lifting the current suspension. At the same time, the EU must engage with the Belarusian authorities to bring the electoral laws in line with international standards and abolish the death penalty. The EU should also advocate for free media and support civil society so as to guarantee the freedom of expression, assembly and political association. In particular young people should be encouraged to study in the EU and travel to international seminars without needing to fear of repercussions from the regime! More info about JEF s Policy Check out JEF s resolution about The Situation in Belarus on which was re-adopted at the Federal Committee meeting of JEF-Europe in Riga. This resolution forms the basis of the street action.

5 2006: Give the people of Belarus a voice! On 19th March 2006 the Presidential Elections were held in Belarus. The evening s between Tuesday 14th March and Wednesday 15th March saw the first Free Belarus street action, entitled Give the People of Belarus a Voice. Activists gagged the statues from several European cities, and hung signs from their necks stating: Give the People of Belarus a Voice. During this time JEF s electoral observers were arrested in Belarus. The 2006 action saw 23 cities participate but little did the JEF activists at the time realise that their actions would lay the foundations for the street action of gagging statues to continue annually for many years to come. 2007: Give a voice to the citizens of Belarus! On the evening of 18th March 2007, which saw the first anniversary of the condemned Presi-dential Elections in Belarus, JEF activists once again took to the streets. It was decided that the action should again be carried out in the same fashion as the previous year, but this year bearing the slogan: Give a voice to the citizens of Belarus. In 2007 a stronger emphasis was placed on collaborating with other NGOs and civil society actors which resulted in 60 cities participating in the action, with the furthest reach being in Boston. 2008: European youth against the Belarus dictatorship! Similarly to the 2007 action, in 2008 on the evening of 18th March on the second anniversary of the condemned Presidential Elec-tions, activists around the world took to the streets to protest. In 2008 participants began using European Flags or pieces of cloth bearing the European colours to gag the statues and held signs stating: EUROPE, Give the citizens of Belarus a VOICE!. The main emphasis of the 2008 street actions was to state that Europe is directly responsible for taking action against the dictatorship in Belarus, with a goal to increase the action s visibility with citizens by creating debate and involve elected representatives to increase the profile of the action and secure media attraction. In 2008 over 70 cities participated. 2009: It s Time for Change... It s Time for a Free Belarus! Like in previous years, international activists took the streets to fight for a free Belarus on 18th March 2009, to mark the anniver-sary of the Presidential Elections. In 2009, a strong emphasis was placed on protesters interacting with citizens and encouraging them to gag statues or themselves and was held jointly with JEF s European Parliament election campaign. In 2009, over 120 cities participated in the Free Belarus street action! 2010 March: Free Belarus! On 18th of March youth from 125 cities from all over the world was involved in the organisation of the Free Belarus action. Thus, 4 press releases were translated into over 8 languages (including Belarusian and Russian), distributed to over 3,000 media contacts and downloaded over 550 times from the JEF Europe web site. On 16th December 2010 we will support the democracy in Belarus and continue our action! 5

6 This section contains: Leaflet Leaflet which you can print and distribute to the public during your action! Customisable website / blog post Information that you can easily customise to post on your website! 6

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8 BACKGROUND BACKGROUND Belarus, often described as Europe s last dictatorship, is a country where dictatorship rules and where freedom of the press, establishment of NGOs and respect for human Belarus, often described as Europe s last dictatorship, is a country where dictatorship rules and where freedom of the press, establishment of NGOs and respect for human rights are still distant dreams. Belarus is at our doorstep, not at the other side of the rights are still distant dreams. Belarus is at our doorstep, not at the other side of the world but somehow Europe is incapable of responding to the serious human rights Europe desperately needs a proper and united European Foreign Policy to deal with global issues. world but somehow Europe is incapable of responding to the serious human rights violations. Why is this? Because the EU doesn t have the necessary means to react. Europe desperately needs a proper and united European Foreign Policy to deal with global issues. DEMANDS DEMANDS JEF Europe campaigns for a targeted EU engagement to ensure that democratic elections are brought to Belarus for good. JEF demands the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security JEF Europe campaigns for a targeted EU engagement to ensure that democratic elections are brought to Belarus for good. JEF demands the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, to foster greater co-operation between Member States and European Institutions to put the Belarusian dictatorship to an end. violations. Why is this? Because the EU doesn t have the necessary means to react. Policy, Catherine Ashton, to foster greater co-operation between Member States and European Institutions to put the Belarusian dictatorship to an end. Brussels must make it clear to Minsk that freedom of the press and NGOs and above all Brussels must make it clear to Minsk that freedom of the press and NGOs and above all respect for human rights, particularly with regard to the opposition, are prerequisites for any EU economic gains and EU entry for Belarus officials. respect for human rights, particularly with regard to the opposition, are prerequisites for any EU economic gains and EU entry for Belarus officials. JOIN US! JOIN US! On the 16th of December, young people from all over the world are taking action to demand freedom and democracy in Belarus by symbolically gagging statutes; much like Belarusian citizens are gagged. Help us to fight for Democracy in Belarus! On the 16th of December, young people from all over the world are taking action to demand freedom and democracy in Belarus by symbolically gagging statutes; much like Belarusian citizens are gagged. Help us to support Democracy in Belarus! BACKGROUND BACKGROUND Belarus, often described as Europe s last dictatorship, is a country where dictatorship rules and where freedom of the press, establishment of NGOs and respect for human Belarus, often described as Europe s last dictatorship, is a country where dictatorship rules and where freedom of the press, establishment of NGOs and respect for human rights are still distant dreams. Belarus is at our doorstep, not at the other side of the rights are still distant dreams. Belarus is at our doorstep, not at the other side of the world but somehow Europe is incapable of responding to the serious human rights Europe desperately needs a proper and united European Foreign Policy to deal with global issues. world but somehow Europe is incapable of responding to the serious human rights violations. Why is this? Because the EU doesn t have the necessary means to react. Europe desperately needs a proper and united European Foreign Policy to deal with global issues. DEMANDS DEMANDS JEF Europe campaigns for a targeted EU engagement to ensure that democratic elections are brought to Belarus for good. JEF demands the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign JEF Europe campaigns for a targeted EU engagement to ensure that democratic elections are brought to Belarus for good. JEF demands the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, to foster greater co-operation between Member States and European Institutions to put the Belarusian dictatorship to an end. violations. Why is this? Because the EU doesn t have the necessary means to react. Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, to foster greater co-operation between Member States and European Institutions to put the Belarusian dictatorship to an end. Brussels must make it clear to Minsk that freedom of the press and NGOs and above all Brussels must make it clear to Minsk that freedom of the press and NGOs and above all respect for human rights, particularly with regard to the opposition, are prerequisites for any EU economic gains and EU entry for Belarus officials. respect for human rights, particularly with regard to the opposition, are prerequisites for any EU economic gains and EU entry for Belarus officials. JOIN US! JOIN US! On the 16th of December, young people from all over the world are taking action to demand On the 16h of December, young people from all over the world are taking action to demand freedom and democracy in Belarus by symbolically gagging statutes; much like Belarusian citizens are gagged. Help us to support Democracy in Belarus! freedom and democracy in Belarus by symbolically gagging statutes; much like Belarusian citizens are gagged. Help us to fight for Democracy in Belarus!

9 Please feel free to copy and paste the information below into your organisation s or personal website or blog to inspire others to get involved with the Free Belarus Action in 2010: For the 6th time, the Young European Federalists (JEF) are organising a pan-european street action on 16th December 2010, to protest against and raise awareness about the last remaining dictatorship on the European continent. Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus since 1994, has oppressed human rights and fundamental freedoms ever since coming to power. As an organisation that promotes freedom, democracy and federalism, JEF cannot leave the Belarusian citizens behind! JEF is calling for young people, their friends, families and networks throughout Europe and the wider world to act NOW. The street action is very simple: take to the streets on the evening of December 16, put a piece of cloth around the mouths of famous statues to symbolically gag them, take pictures of your action and send them as soon as possible to belarus@jef.eu! 10 By collecting pictures from young people from all over the world, we make an important statement that will be heard loud and clear by the EU Institutions and offcials, the dictatorial regime and the population in Belarus. Mark democracy in your agenda for 16th December 2010! For more information on how to organise your event, more in-depth explanations of the action and for a number of useful tools to help you gain support and media attention please download the Free Belarus 2010 Action Pack here or simply visit: Don t forget to also register your action before 10th December 2010 by ing belarus@jef.eu stating your name, country and organisation (if applicable)! Last but not least, share the Press Releases, and Last News entries on the homepage of via your social networks to your friends and colleagues. Also follow us on Twitter

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11 JEF Europe strongly urges you to document your Free Belarus Action by taking as many photos and videos as possible of the gagged statues, the action of gagging, talking to the general public and any other activities you plan around your actions. Documenting the gagging will not only help you capture the memories of a fun evening of street actions but will also assist JEF Europe in collating and communicating your actions from all over the world! Once the action is complete we would ask you to submit a selection of the best photos / videos taken and using the forms below, describe to us where the photos / videos were taken, who was in the photo and any other additional information about the context of the submission you would like us to know! To download a word version of this form to complete, please follow this link:.. Alternatively, if the files are too large for , you can either upload them to a free file hosting website ( and us the link to download or put them on a disk and post them to: JEF-Europe, Chaussée de Wavre 214d, B-1050, Brussels, BELGIUM We look forward to seeing the photos / videos of you in action on 16th December 2010 very soon! Disclaimer Please note that by submitting photos and videos taken during the Free Belarus Action 2010 to JEF Europe you are hereby giving permission for JEF Europe to publically use such files for reporting, communicating and publicising the global action through a range of online platforms and media outlets. Please send all photos / videos and this accompanying submission form as soon as possible to: belarus@jef.eu or jef.intern@gmail.com. 13

12 JEF Europe strongly urges you to utilise the customisable Press Release contained in this pack to gain media attention for your Free Belarus Action in The attention will not only help raise public awareness of the hugely important political message behind the action but will also inform many of who JEF is and what we do. Media attention can be attracted through many outlets, whether in the form of a local radio station interview, an article in a national newspaper or a post on an organisation s blog all is great at spreading the message of the Free Belarus campaign! Once the action is complete we would ask you to submit copies of all the media coverage your action attracted using the forms below, describe to us who covered the story, where and when the article was published and any other additional information about the context of the submitted coverage you would like us to know! To download a word version of this form to complete, please follow this link:. 14 Please send all photos / videos and this accompanying submission form as soon as possible to: belarus@jef.eu or jef.intern@gmail.com. Alternatively, if the files are too large for , you can either upload them to a free le hosting website ( and us the link to download or put them on a disk and post them to: JEF-Europe, Chaussée de Wavre 214d, B-1050, Brussels, BELGIUM We look forward to seeing media coverage of you in action on 16th December 2010 very soon! Disclaimer Please note that by submitting copies of media coverage of your Free Belarus Action 2010 to JEF Europe you are hereby giving permission for JEF Europe to publically use such files for reporting, communicating and publicising the global action through a range of online platforms and media outlets.

13 Please note that JEF Europe can take no responsibility for injuries incurred, legal trouble attracted or any other difficulties you may face whilst carrying out your Free Belarus 2010' action and ultimately the responsibility as to if, where, when and how to carry out the action resides with the individual JEF section, organisation or person. JEF Europe would however, like to offer the (by no means comprehensive) following helpful hints and tips on how to avoid such mishaps: 1. If approached by a police officer or other security offcial as a result of your action you should always treat any such officer with respect and follow their orders, if you have the legal freedom to do so, you should also question their decisions. If you don't feel safe following their direction, let them know this. Often officers must always clearly display their identification numbers, or, if questioned, they must tell you this information. Do not turn your back on them. 2. Climbing is dangerous, if you do decide to climb to gag a larger statue you need to do everything you can to mitigate the effects of gravity and falling. Beginner climbers are most vulnerable to accidents, so always use sound judgment; respect climbing dangers and don't climb over your head. 3. Be extremely cautious not to damage the statues or other public property during your action. Using cloth to gag a statue is fine, but using stickers, paint or glue could result in damaging the statue and thus leave you liable for cleaning or repair costs. 4. If you choose to carry out your actions after dark, be wary of attracting unwanted attention, especially when using cameras to document the process as this could attract pickpockets. 5. When carrying out your public actions, be sure to ensure you are aware of whether the property is privately owned. Traditionally there are two types of trespassing on private land, for both types, some level of intent is required. A trespasser would probably not be prosecuted if the land was open and a no trespassing sign is not displayed, as the trespasser's conduct did not substantially interfere with the owner's use of the property, and the trespasser left immediately on request however as a general rule it is best to avoid doing so at all. 6. Despite the dangers being present, they are relatively low and unlikely to occur so the most important tip for the action is to have fun, invite all your friends and don t forget to document the action! 15