Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, has been named Person of the Year in Organized Crime and Corruption, according to a statement from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), adding that it is an award given to those who have contributed to the improvement of organized crime and corruption. .
"In another significant year for corruption, the global independent council chose Aleksandar Lukashenko as the person of the year in organized crime and corruption". They add, as reported by Danas, that this is the first time in ten years that the decision was made unanimously.
Brutal, the last European dictator, as they describe him, Lukashenko was elected as a reformer in 1994, but since then, they say, "he has violently held on to power despite having fallen out of favor with the people a long time ago." He, it is pointed out, "did it through political control, with an iron hand, by rigging elections, torturing critics and arbitrarily arresting protesters - all with the help of the Kremlin."
Through widespread corruption, they add, he built a huge system of patronage that gives him control over the economy, and to protect that corruption he committed gross violations of human rights.
They emphasize that "Lukashenko is one of many autocrats who use corruption and violence to undermine democracy and hold on to power indefinitely - a challenge many countries face."
During the last year and this year, they remind, Lukashenko brazenly violated international norms, including creating a migrant crisis with the EU by "luring thousands of refugees to the border of Belarus with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland".
In May of this year, he also ordered the grounding of a Ryanair Minsk plane flying on the Athens-Vilnius route in order for the Belarusian authorities to arrest the Belarusian dissident Roman Protashevich, which caused the anger and wrath of the international community.
Bonus video:
