The law is set to tax the unemployed $250 per year
Victory Square in Minsk
More than 1000 people were arrested in Belarus over the weekend while protesting the government’s new ‘parasite law’.
President Alexander Lukashenko sanctioned the taxation of unemployed citizens in a law that is now locally known as the “law against social parasites.”
Lukashenko who is considered Europe’s last dictator for his totalitarian control over the country started the nationwide protests by ordering a $250 annual tax on the unemployed individuals.
According to Washington Post’s Amanda Erickson, Belarusians are not demanding the same rights – free speech, an independent press, or fair elections. “They want, instead, the benefits that come from a Soviet-style leader – a reasonable income, state benefits such as free health care, and a good pension,”
Belarusan expert Balazs Jarabik told Washington Post, “People don’t want more freedom.” “They want more government. They want the better life they used to have.”
It is estimated that about 150 of those arrested have received a jail term of up to 25 years.
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