PhotoBlog - alexander-lukashenko

Aug

2011

7:00am, EDT

Sergei Grits / AP

Belarussians wait in line to buy meat at considerably cheaper prices than at the market, in front of the closed door of a shop before it opens in Minsk on Aug. 31. Belarus is mired in its worst financial crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union. The government devalued the ruble by some 50 percent this year, causing panic buying of staples and huge lines at foreign exchange offices. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko says the ex-Soviet nation will allow a free float of its currency in mid-September.

Economic woes drive Belarussians toward a rather benign form of anarchy

By David R Arnott, NBC News

In the surreal world of Belarus, standing in line outside a shop could be considered subversive.

When I saw this picture, I remembered reading about a new law drafted by the government of Alexander Lukashenko, who is frequently described as "Europe's last dictator."

The New York Times reported the proposed law thus: In Belarus, Just Being Can Prompt an Arrest. The paper explained:

[The draft law] prohibits the "joint mass presence of citizens in a public place that has been chosen beforehand, including an outdoor space, and at a scheduled time for the purpose of a form of action or inaction that has been planned beforehand and is a form of public expression of the public or political sentiments or protest."

Anyone proven to be taking part in such a gathering would be subject to up to 15 days of administrative arrest, the draft says.