Like Belarus, in Brazil, women are also at the forefront of opposition to dictator Aleksandr Lukachenko.
Julia, 38, who works with international projects (and chose not to give her surname), and Professor Volha Yermalayeva Franco, 31, started an online petition last week denouncing electoral fraud and cracking down on demonstrations. They also opened a Facebook page.
Both are part of the tiny Belarusian community in Brazil, which has about 120 people, according to consul Grigori Goldchleger. The embassy says it does not know the size of the community.
The petition calls for a campaign for Christ the Redeemer to be lit in the colors of the country's traditional red and white flag, used before the Lukachenko era. As of Wednesday afternoon (9), almost 1,500 people had signed.
Julia, a Recife resident, has lived in Brazil for 13 years, where she works in giving commercial assistance to companies.
“When that terror started, we thought: we are in Brazil, what can we do? We started looking for others in the community. We are very shocked, we want to report it ”, says she, who met Volha on the internet. A WhatsApp group with a dozen people was the beginning of the mobilization.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon