Union of Poles in Belarus
Encyclopedia
The Union of Poles in Belarus is an organization located in the Eastern Europe
an country of Belarus
. The group, which has a membership of 20,000 people, represents the Polish minority in Belarus
, numbering about 400,000, as per official data (and much higher according to unofficial estimates).
Lately, the group has received international attention due to the Belarusian Government cracking down on the group and their activities. The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko
, has accused Poland
and the European Union
of trying to use the group to create an uprising similar to what took place in Ukraine
, Georgia
and Kyrgyzstan
.
Since 2005, there are two groups using the above name. The first, is that led by Andżelika Borys
which is prohibited by Belarus government. The second, has the support of the Belarus government, and is led by Stanisław Siemaszko.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an country of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. The group, which has a membership of 20,000 people, represents the Polish minority in Belarus
Polish minority in Belarus
The Polish minority in Belarus numbers officially about 294,549 according to 2009 census. It forms the second largest ethnic minority in the country after the Russians, at 3,1% of the total population. An estimated 180,905 Polish Belarusians live in large agglomerations and 113,644 in smaller...
, numbering about 400,000, as per official data (and much higher according to unofficial estimates).
Lately, the group has received international attention due to the Belarusian Government cracking down on the group and their activities. The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
, has accused Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
of trying to use the group to create an uprising similar to what took place in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
.
Since 2005, there are two groups using the above name. The first, is that led by Andżelika Borys
Andżelika Borys
Andżelika Borys is a Polish activist in Belarus. She was the leader of the Union of Poles in Belarus.-References:...
which is prohibited by Belarus government. The second, has the support of the Belarus government, and is led by Stanisław Siemaszko.
External links
UPB recognized by Belarus UPB recognized by Poland- Bordering on madness:Belarus mistreats its Polish minority, The Economist, Jun 16th 2005
- Polish-Belarussian relations STATEMENT OF THE POLISH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, July 28th, 2005
- Embassy of Belarus in the USA - On State Policy of the Republic of Belarus in the Sphere of Interethnic Relations - Specifics of the Developments Around the «Union of Poles in Belarus»