BELL

The Students for Global Democracy website now has a Belarus Campaign (BELL), to which it's possible to make financial donations. From the campaign literature:

Often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator,” President Lukashenka has openly and consistantly repressed the people of Belarus—eliminating opposition and forcing the nation into both economical and political isolationism. Independent media barely exists in the country and the KGB - which still tellingly goes by the old Soviet moniker - monitors every form of communication. Just recently, the government has demanded that all radio stations submit transcripts of their broadcasts in advance so that Lukashenka’s censors can vet possible criticism of the dictator. The Belarussian president has also given himself the power to appoint all 110 members of the upper house of Parliament—meaning that a body which would normally check the executive’s power does nothing more than rubber-stamp his proposals. Fear runs rampant throughout the nation as Lukashenka stands poised to undo the constitutional term limits of the Belarusian presidency to officially become nothing less than the permanent dictator of Belarus. All opposition has not ceased, however, and lives on in such groups as Zubr, Free Belarus, and Charter 97. Zubr, for example, is the largest civil society group in the nation; completely non-partisan and non-violent, they organize the majority of demonstrations and opposition in Belarus today. Threats of personal or family-related torture, financial ruin, and potential death make the life of a Belarussian democrat a difficult one. In 2004 alone, monitoring groups were able to identify at least 650 acts of repression and violence against Zubr alone. 350 arrests for the distribution of literature, 200 arrests for protest, at least 10 military searches of known Zubr residences, more than 400 days in combined recorded prison time—the Belarussian people are trying their best to receive their entitled freedoms. They have not lost hope for the day when they and their children can decide their livelihoods for themselves. Zubr—as with any group—needs financial aid to operate effectively. Andrei Sannikov, leader of Charter 97 and former Belarussian deputy foreign minister, told SGD President Charlie Szrom how domestic funding is simply impossible due to dire government pressure on whoever attempts to aid the democratic opposition. Andrei spoke of one particular incident that occurred in 2004 when Sannikov met with a business friend in order to attain funding for the Belrusian democrats. The businessman said he thought he could help, and promised to do what he could. Only ten minutes after the meeting’s end, however, the businessman called Sannikov and said he could not help at all. As it turns out, immediately after the meeting, a KGB agent had caught the buisnessman and told him that the government would shut down his business if he gave even a dollar to the opposition. The government also puts extreme pressure on businesses that employ democrats, meaning that simply getting by day-to-day poses a challenge for those who would seek their country’s freedom. In essence, only international funding of groups such as Zubr is possible. Yet, since 2001 such funding has essentially dried up. After the 2001 Belarussian election, Lukashenka began to crack down on those who had run against him in the election to punish them for daring to oppose his rule. Instead of increasing their aid to respond to the worsening situation, most large international donor organizations pulled the majority of their funding. Such organizations also usually demand that aid recipients be officially registered with the Belarussian government—a ridiculous demand considering that Minsk would never officially recognize an organization that seriously threatens its dictatorial status. SGD aims to play a different role than these larger organizations by effectively using its donated funds to achieve the best result possible for the people of Belarus. We listen to those on the ground—the democrats—to determine what is actually needed and how to best change the situation there. We simply want to bring democracy to Belarus, not serve the interests of a bureauratic aid organization with inefficient policies. Together, we can make a true difference in our world and for the people of Belarus—all in a peaceful and powerful way. We ask only for your support in this effort, be it through a monetary contribution or by spreading awareness to colleagues and friends about the drastic need for action to aid the Belarussian people. Help the people of Belarus get the rights they are entitled to and the liberty that should be enjoyed by all people, and note that whatever contribution you can make to this effort will help the bells of freedom ring just that much louder in Belarus.