By Free Belarus Journal
Free Belarus Journal — Volume II (2026)
What Constitution for a New Belarus?
The second volume of Free Belarus Journal focuses on the constitutional foundations of a future democratic Belarus. Bringing together legal, political and historical perspectives, the issue examines the roots of authoritarianism, public attitudes towards constitutional change and the institutions needed to safeguard democracy and the rule of law.
The authors discuss a parliamentary model of government, the right to resist tyranny, an independent Constitutional Court and European constitutional standards. The Varia section explores the future of Belarusian science, the legacy of Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek and a comparative study of the Belarusian political system.
The issue also pays tribute to Aliaksandr Milinkevich, reflecting on his vision for Belarus’s Constitution and his personal and public legacy.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Foreword of Editor-in-Chief
Mariusz Maszkiewicz
In memoriam
The Compass He Left Us: Aliaksandr Milinkevich’s Vision for Belarus’s Constitution
The Roots of the Crisis & Societal Context
The Triumph of Authoritarian Backlash in Belarus (July 1994–November 1996): Preconditions and Consequences, Actors and Institutions —
Viktar Shadurski
A Political Sham of the Lukashenka Era: What Happened to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly? —
Valer Karbalevich
Constitution Through the Eyes of Public Opinion —
Andrei Vardomatski
Civil Justice in the Shadow of Autocracy —
Piotr Rudkouski, Henadz Korshunau
Designing the Constitutional Architecture
Blueprints of the Belarusian House in the European Quarter —
Anatol Liabedzka
The Transition to a Parliamentary Republic as a Constitutional Mechanism for Reducing the Risk of New Authoritarianism in Belarus —
Valery Zhurakouski
Right to Resist Tyranny in the European Tradition and in the Draft Constitution for a New Belarus —
Valer Litavets
European Standards & International Perspectives
Towards a European Constitutional Identity of Belarus —
Dainius Žalimas, Ingrida Danėlė-Žalimienė
How to Advise the Development of a New Constitution for Belarus from a European Perspective —
Thomas M. Buchsbaum
Guarding the New Constitution: Designing an Independent Constitutional Court for a Post-Authoritarian Belarus —
Rafał Czachor
Varia
Science for Export: Who Is Belarus Training Researchers for — and What Can Be Done? —
Olga Tomashevskaya, Pavel Daneyka
The Phenomenon of Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek —
Mariusz Maszkiewicz
Review. Authoritarianism under Threat: The Belarusian Political System in Comparative Perspective —
Tatsiana Kulakevich
About the Authors
In memoriam
Aliaksandr Milinkevich (1947–2026): A Personal Commemoration
Mariusz Maszkiewicz