People's Embassies of Belarus

Emblem of the People's Embassies of Belarus

People's Embassies of Belarus (Belarusian: Народныя амбасады Беларусі) is a project of Belarusian diaspora abroads that was created due to not recognizing the official results of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.[1]

History

The decision to create the People's Embassies of Belarus was made by representatives of the Belarusian diaspora on the basis of the resolution of the World Congress of Belarusians. The Congress took place from 30 October to 1 November 2020. On 10 December the opening ceremony of People's Embassies was held online. The People's Embassies stated that their embassies were opened in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK.[2]

In 2024, the KGB labeled the People's Embassies as an "extremist group".[3]

Main functions

The Belarusian diaspora named the main functions of People’s Embassies of Belarus. They are informing the public about the situation in Belarus; establishing and maintaining contacts with government bodies, public associations, trade unions, business, scientific and cultural circles abroad; protection of the rights and interests of Belarusians living abroad as well as the assistance to those forced to leave the country.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Народныя амбасады" Беларусі адкрыліся ў 14 краінах свету
  2. ^ "People's Embassies of Belarus". Belarus Abroad. 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  3. ^ "«Народные посольства» и «Это Минск, детка» признаны «экстремистскими» формированиями". Reform.by [be] (in Russian). 2024-03-04.
  4. ^ "Белорусская оппозиция объявила об открытии Народных посольств за рубежом Русская служба". BBC News. 2020-12-10. Archived from the original on 2023-05-27.