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A referendum in Belarus is scheduled for February 2022. But it is already clear that it will lead to neither real changes, nor to a "direct expression of the will of the citizens. The choice will be between Lukashenka’s system and Lukashenka’s system. Moreover, a referendum in Belarus is impossible now. There is no freedom of speech in the country, but there is terror. There are thousands of political prisoners in Belarus, the largest media outlets are blocked, and journalists are jailed or expelled from the country. The real question for the referendum is "Do you trust Lukashenka and his entourage to determine domestic and foreign policy in our country? Except that on the ballot, both answers will be "Yes." It is not a choice. But we cannot ignore the referendum either. Our silence and inaction is acquiescence to the policies of an illegitimate government. If we turn a blind eye to the referendum, we are playing along with Lukashenka. The only option is to go to the polls. We will make the whole world see that the Belarusians do not want to live under Lukashenka’s regime and still want change. We will not let the illegitimate power commit another crime. The democratic forces have prepared a clear plan of action for the referendum. And we will tell you about it soon — all together.

A national referendum is planned for February 2022. There is no exact date yet, but preparations are in full swing and with violations: the electoral commissions are being formed even before the referendum is announced. According to the *Honest People community, problems began here: people refuse to participate and they want to reduce the number of commission members. It is absolutely clear why people refuse: few want to participate in falsifications. Last year’s experience clearly showed what a "small evil" leads to. However, the situation can be used for the benefit of civil society; therefore we ask honest Belarusians to agree and join election commissions. And be sure to contact the *Honest People community and the Zubr initiative. Are you being asked to be a member of the electoral commission at a referendum? Say yes! They will find a loyal person to take your place, and it will be harder for the Belarusians to find out what is going on inside. Are people you know being asked to be a commissioner? Show them this post. Talk to friends and relatives who work for government agencies. They may be afraid to tell you that they received such an offer. After you give your consent, get in touch with the *Honest People community through account @contact2022. They guarantee anonymity, and no information will be published without your permission. And remember about safety. People are the country’s greatest asset.

The Head of the NAM Pavel Latushka spoke in detail about the instrument of secondary US sanctions, its impact on the banking system of the regime and the fascist economy of Lukashenka as a whole 1) What are secondary US sanctions, how they work and have they already been applied to Belarus. 2) Why do foreign banks close correspondent accounts for Belarusian state banks, what consequences this will lead to, and where does the secondary US sanctions have to do with it? 3) Why did the United States decide to use the secondary sanctions instrument and when is the package of "sanctions for violation of sanctions" expected to be adopted. 4) How the sanctions pressure will affect the income of the regime and how to suppress Lukashenka’s economic fascism. The text version is available here. We also recommend watching:

Recognition of the regime as terrorist and the Ryanair incident, an international tribunal and universal jurisdiction: our action to bring Lukashenka and his accomplices to justice The National Anti-Crisis Management is methodically working to ensure that the Lukashenka regime is not officially recognized internationally, and with it, is recognized as a terrorist organization. Earlier, we explained the difference between illegitimacy — a well-established characteristic of the Belarusian dictatorship — and non-recognition (in case you missed it, it’s easy to correct). Today, we want to talk in detail about the recognition of the dictator and his entourage as terrorists, as well as the prosecution of those responsible for crimes against the Belarusian people in the framework of an international tribunal and universal jurisdiction. What would giving the Belarusians the status of a terrorist regime do? How to prevent the illegitimate authorities from getting away with the situation around the Ryanair plane and the migration crisis? What should be done to initiate an international tribunal against Lukashenka and his accomplices? What is the point of working through universal jurisdiction?

Pavel Latushka on the meeting of Putin and Lukashenka and the integration of Belarus and Russia Firstly. We proceed from the fact that Lukashenka has lost his legitimacy since November 5, 2020, including the adoption of any international legal documents. In this regard, the agreements concluded by Lukashenka on 04.11.2021 with the Russian Federation are legally null and cannot be recognized. Secondly. The source of power in Belarus is only the Belarusian people, who have the right to determine their fate through direct participation in decision-making or through the formation of representative bodies of power. Since there are no legitimate authorities and administration in Belarus, the Belarusian people did not express their will to conclude such agreements. Thirdly. We proceed from the interest of the Belarusian society to maintain exclusively equal relations with all international partners. Fourthly. The Russian Federation is making a strategic mistake by deepening its cooperation with a person who illegally retains power in Belarus, which inevitably worsens the Belarusian society’s assessment of the actions of the Russian authorities to conclude these bilateral agreements. The main principle and unconditional priority for us is the preservation of the sovereignty and independence of Belarus on the basis of the exclusive right of Belarusians to decide their fate.

International Federation of Film Producers Associations FIAPF suspended the accreditation of the film festival "Listapad" due to the fact that "the accreditation of the Minsk festival casts a shadow on other festivals, to which we provide accreditation". The corresponding letters from the president of FIAPF Luis Albert Scalella were received by the Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management Pavel Latushka. This is the result of joint work of the NAM team and the Belarusian Rada of Culture.

On October 11, the National Anti-Crisis Management held a legal conference in Nuremberg. There, together with politicians, lawyers and human rights activists, we adopted a declaration and an action plan to help bring the criminals of the Lukashenka regime closer to justice. Thanks to the conference, we established new contacts with politicians, lawyers and NGO representatives, and determined the algorithm of further actions to put legal pressure on the regime in order to bring the perpetrators to international criminal responsibility. Before the conference, we organized a fundraiser for the costs of organizing it. At the time of publication, you have helped raise 9,594.67 euros. Thank you to everyone who transferred money and participated in the organization of the conference — without you it would not have happened. We appreciate your contribution! The total cost was 11,686.43 euros. That’s where the money went: accommodation of the team and speakers in Nuremberg — 1821.44 euros; tickets for transportation to and from the conference venue for the team and speakers — 2662.08 euros; conference room rental, coffee breaks, a visit to the Nuremberg Trials Museum, stationery and booklets — 2327.24 euros; Microphones, cameras and other equipment, work of technicians and interpreters for online broadcasts — 4048 euros; PayPal commission and blocked amounts due to bots (mass transfers of $ 1 to stop the collection) — 827.67 euros. We need another 2091.76 euros to cover the full cost. You can help us with this — the collection on PayPal is ongoing. To make the transfer, you need an account in the payment system. You can transfer funds from the link in your profile. We will tell you about further steps to increase the legal pressure on the regime in the coming days.

The Polish Sejm hosted a meeting on the "Belarusian issue" of the Presidium of the Commission on Foreign Affairs with the participation of representatives of the NAM. The meeting was attended by the chairman of the Commission Marek Kuchcinski, the Head of the NAM Pavel Latushka, the Head of the team of management lawyers Michail Kirylyuk, the NAM responsible for multilateral diplomacy Vladzimir Astapenka, one of the initiators of the legal conference in Nuremberg, Polish lawyer Tomasz Wilinski, as well as representatives from all leading political parties in Poland. The NAM team presented in the Polish parliament a strategy of action in the international direction to accelerate the implementation by the illegitimate power of the three main and unchangeable demands of the Belarusian people: Stop repression and violence, and investigate and prosecute those responsible for crimes against peaceful Belarusians; Immediately release all political prisoners; hold new, fair, free and transparent presidential elections with the participation of international observers. Let us remind you of the priorities of our work these days: non-recognition of Lukashenka and his government at the international level; recognition of the regime as a terrorist organization; bringing criminals against the Belarusian people to justice in the framework of universal jurisdiction and preparation of an international tribunal; Depriving the dictatorship of its livelihood through domestic economic pressure and increased sanctions; mobilization of the Belarusians — including in the context of the constitutional referendum, the ignoring of which by the democratic majority would be too generous a gift for Lukashenka.

ICAO again postponed the Ryanair incident report — and we provide the aviation law expert’s assessment The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced that the report on the incident with the Ryanair plane landing at the Minsk airport will be made public only on February 22, 2022. A number of experts, however, already have an opinion about the dictator’s act: this is a criminal offense. Among them is Elmar Giemulla, professor of aviation law and flight safety at the Berlin Institute and a number of other universities. In October, Elmar Giemulla spoke at a conference organized by the NAM in Nuremberg with a legal assessment of the incident. We have selected the main points: Belarus joined the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation — the "Chicago Convention" — in 1993. The country has not signed the so-called transit agreement whereby states multilaterally guarantee unimpeded passage through their airspace. But this does not mean that it can do whatever it wants in its airspace. According to the "Chicago Convention", all aircrafts can fly over the territories of the signatory states without landing. A forced landing should serve to prevent a hazard, and this hazard should be more dangerous than the consequences of a forced landing. In this case, it was not like that. Belarus has clearly violated the "Chicago Agreement". In the absence of justification, this incident is nothing more than a government-sponsored hijacking. This is a violation of the 1970 Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, which Belarus signed in 1971. Thus, the forced landing of a Ryanair aircraft is not only a violation of international law, but also a criminal offense. The Montreal Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation of 1971, which Belarus joined in 1973, provides: anyone who deliberately, unlawfully and knowingly provides incorrect information and thereby endangers the safety of an aircraft in flight, is subject to criminal prosecution. The full text of the report in English can be found here.

One year ago, on October 28, 2020, the National Anti-Crisis Management was founded. Belarusian professionals from different spheres — politics, economy, culture, marketing — united under Pavel Latushka to oppose the Lukashenka regime and prepare the country for the transition from dictatorship to democracy. So that all of us, as soon as possible, could build a New Belarus. A free Belarus. Democratic. Developing. We, the NAM team, believe that given the ongoing crisis in our homeland, this anniversary is not something worth celebrating. And we sincerely hope that the NAM — in its current form as an organization — will not have a second birthday. That the victory over the regime will happen sooner, a legitimate democratic government will be established in the country, and we will be able to work for the benefit of the people as part of it. Be that as it may, the birthday is an occasion to take some stock. In addition, one of the fundamental principles of the NAM’s work is transparency and accountability to the Belarusian society. That’s why today we’re announcing a big stream, which will take place next week. The key members of the team, including the Head of the NAM Pavel Latushka, will conduct a "debriefing" on the work already done and the current work, try to look into the future and, most importantly, answer your most pressing questions. Everyone will be able to join the meeting. We will share the details, including details about the venue, where translation will be held, in the next few days — stay tuned! Thanks for being with us this year. Together we can do anything. Long Live Belarus! With love for Belarus and faith in a speedy victory, your the NAM team.

The preparation of a strike is an important element of the strategic proposals previously mentioned by the NAM. And we support the strike, but precisely prepared — as a powerful instrument of pressure on the regime and victory over it. We also certainly support the idea of staying at home — first of all, as a way to protect your health and life. In the current epidemiological situation, it is important that such motivation resonates with Belarusians, becoming one of the serious prerequisites for turning self-isolation into a strike. At the same time, we continue to demand from the regime: — to introduce a lockdown in the country and cancel all public events, as all civilized countries, as well as Russia, did; — show real statistics on the incidence of COVID-19 and mortality from the virus; — open borders for Belarusians so that they can get access to European vaccines; — open access to Belarus for humanitarian missions. Also, the leaders of the democratic forces of Belarus sent a letter to the leadership of the EU, the EU countries and the leadership of COVAX with an appeal to urgently provide assistance to Belarus in the amount of at least a million doses of vaccines. And we will demand from the regime to accept this help. We continue to work on external and internal pressure on the regime — with the aim of weakening it and maximizing the effect of a future strike. We stand for responsibility and coordination, and therefore we urge: 1) all leaders of the labor movement and democratic forces in the near future hold a general meeting, discuss the degree of readiness for a strike, fix the necessary actions to achieve this readiness, as well as prepare proposals for Belarusians — and return to the plan and a comprehensive strategy of action, where responsibility will be indicated each and the role of the strike to achieve victory; 2) based on the results of the meeting, adopt a joint resolution and a unified plan of concrete actions on the strike. Time to act together. And together be responsible for our decisions.

Joint appeal of the Democratic Forces On October 26, the leaders of the democratic forces of Belarus sent a letter to the leadership of the EU, the EU member states and the leadership of COVAX with an appeal to urgently provide assistance to Belarus in the amount of at least a million doses of vaccines. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Head of the NAM Pavel Latushka, member of the CC Presidium Olga Kovalkova, CC representative for political prisoners Tatyana Khomich, Head of the Cabinet of Representatives Valery Kovalevsky, representative of the Medical Solidarity Fund Andrei Tkachev appealed to Belarusians: "Back in the spring we worked with the European Commission and COVAX to bring vaccines to Belarus. We were looking for ways to do this — through the UN, religious organizations. But then these decisions remained unfulfilled — and we see the consequences now. The situation continues to worsen. Therefore, for the sake of the health of Belarusians, it is necessary to unite efforts to accept the help of our neighbors and the international community. Today, on behalf of all democratic forces, we sent a letter to the EU leadership, the EU member states and the COVAX leadership. We urge to urgently provide assistance to Belarus in the amount of at least one million doses of vaccines. We are not "throwing an idea". We offer a tool that will help a million of Belarusian people. All that is required from the Ministry of Health is to agree. We do this because for us a pandemic is not politics, it is the health and lives of people. And now our task and responsibility is to take care of our health and the health of our loved ones; help doctors who have been heroically fighting the pandemic for a year and a half, help us. • Wear masks. • Get the vaccine that is currently available. • Avoid public places and events and stay at home whenever possible. Take care of yourself. Your families need you, your country needs you, we all need you."