Dzianis Melyantsou (, , occasionally also Denis Melyantsov; born 1980), is a Belarusian political scientist and commentator of foreign relations of Belarus. He is criticised for propaganda in Belarus and lobbyism of the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
Biography D. Melyantsou was born in Mahilioŭ. He graduated from the Mahilioŭ State University (2003), Vilnius University (2006) and the Belarusian State University.
In 2006-2009 he was a lecturer at the European Humanities University in Vilnius.
Between 2007 and 2017, he was an expert at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies Dzianis Melyantsou: Coordinator, Belarus's Foreign Policy Programme - Biography on the official website of Minsk Dialogue under Vitali Silitski.
Dzianis Melyantsou is the coordinator of the Belarus’s Foreign Policy Programme of the Minsk Dialogue Council on International Relations. He specializes in Belarus’s foreign policy, Belarus-EU and Belarus-US relations, international and European security.
Criticism
Dzianis Melyantsou is the coordinator of the Belarus’s Foreign Policy Programme of the Minsk Dialogue Council on International Relations, a structure close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.
He is a frequent commentator at the heavily censored Belarusian state media such as Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya or Belarus-1.«Я згодны з ацэнкай прэзідэнта»: што ў эфіры АНТ гаварыў калісьці незалежны эксперт Дзяніс Мельянцоў ["I agree with the president": what did the formerly independent expert Dzianis Melyantsou say on ONT] — Nasha Niva, 22.01.2021
In 2012, Melyantsou was accused by journalist and activist Nikolai Khalezin of drafting a letter later signed by a number of Belarusian political analysts and lobbyists that called for the lifting of EU sanctions against members of the nomenklatura of the regime of Alexander Lukashenko responsible for elections rigging, repressions and torture.Документ о целесообразности санкций ЕС обсуждался белорусским демократическим сообществом, но не был подписан - Naviny.by, 07/02/2012 This was later denied by the director of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies.
Melyantsou criticises the imposition of sanctions against the Lukashenko regime, promoting the involvement of Western countries in a dialogue with official Minsk and to making concessions to the regime, under various guises, including the threat from Russia.Why Fears of a Russia-Belarus Merger Never Come True - Moscow Times, 12.05.2021EU sanctions causing pain for Lukashenko - EUObserver, 11.11.2011Мельянцоў: Санкцыі толькі нашкодзяць палітвязням [Melyantsou: Sanctions will only harm political prisoners] - European Radio for Belarus, 23.03.2012Мінск нарываецца на санкцыі, каб адносіны з ЕС былі як у Азербайджана [Minsk runs into sanctions to establish Azerbaijan-like relations with the EU] - European Radio for Belarus, 03.04.2012
In his statements in Belarusian media, Melyantsou aggressively criticised the opponents of A. Lukashenka.Мельянцоў: Якім трэба быць клінічным ідыётам, каб пераканаць сябе, што рэйтынг Лукашэнкі [Melyantsou: What kind of clinical idiot should you be to convince yourself that Lukashenka's rating is 3%?] - Nasha Niva, 03.07.2020
Together with other participants of the Minsk Dialogue project, Melyantsou was engaged in positioning Lukashenka's Belarus as a supposedly neutral platform for negotiations between Russia and the West.Role and impact of small states in promoting peace and security in Eastern Europe. The case of Belarus. - Minsk Dialogue, 28.05.2021Денис Мельянцов: Беларусь выдвигает инициативы будущего, но многие к этому не готовы [Dzianis Melyantsou: Belarus puts forward initiatives for the future, but many are not ready for it] - Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya, 30.09.2019
In his comments to Belarusian media, Melyantsou accused Western countries, which criticise the Lukashenko regime for violating human rights and democratic norms, of being hostile and biased towards Belarus.-tsivilizatsiy.html Чего ждать от сессии ПА ОБСЕ в Минске [What to expect from the OSCE PA session in Minsk] - Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya, 20.06.2017 He accused NATO of aggressive actions against Belarus.Чем вызвана напряженность на белорусско-литовской границе [What caused the tension on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border] Lithuanian border] - Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya, 25.10.2019
He justified the inaction of Belarusian authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic.Мельянцоў: Перад пагрозай голаду беларус пойдзе не на плошчу, а пасадзіць утрая больш бульбы [Melyantsou: In the threat of famine, Belarusians will not go to protests, but will plant three times more potatoes] - Radio Svaboda, 11.04.2020
After mass peaceful protests caused by the rigged presidential elections of 2020 and by political terror against opponents of Alexander Lukashenko, Melyantsou made public statements about the allegedly violent nature of the protests, the alleged downscaling of repressions against protesters as a result of the threat of strikes, and emphasised the illegality of a possible strike of workers in accordance with the present legislation in authoritarian Belarus.Political Crisis in Belarus: Reasons and perspectives, September 24, 2020
He made public claims that the United States supports protests in Belarus basing on geopolitical reasons, expressed regret over the inability of the Lukashenko regime to control the Internet, and justified the brutality of Lukashenko's security forces with police brutality in the United StatesМельянцов: США используют тему прав человека для продвижения своих интересов в других странах [Melyantsov: The United States uses the topic of human rights]
See also List of people and organizations sanctioned in relation to human rights violations in Belarus
References