Slovak Politicians Film Shopping Trip Videos in Belarus While Journalist Who Won Sakharov Prize Was Imprisoned There

Slovak politicians have drawn sharp criticism after filming promotional videos inside shops during a visit to Belarus, a country led by authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko. The trip has provoked outrage given Belarus's record of political repression, including the imprisonment of journalists and activists. Among those who suffered under the Lukashenko regime is a journalist who was awarded the Sakharov Prize — the European Parliament's top human rights honor — recognition given precisely because of the persecution he endured. Critics have highlighted the stark contradiction between Slovak officials engaging in what appeared to be a lighthearted commercial visit to Minsk and the well-documented human rights abuses carried out by the Belarusian state, including the jailing of journalists whom Lukashenko's government declared should not exist. The visit has reignited debate in Slovakia about the current government's foreign policy orientation and its willingness to engage with regimes condemned by the European Union, of which Slovakia is a member state.