Petitions.by: «When a dictator goes against the will of the majority, he must understand whether he has the resources for it»

A petition is a statement to the authorities about one’s ideas, proposals, or issues. Whether the authority is democratic or authoritarian, it is in its interest to understand the real needs of citizens. Petitions mobilize people who share common interests and values. Together, it’s easier to act and achieve goals. Reform.news spoke with the founder of the Petitions.by platform, Vladimir Kovalkin, about how Belarusians can effectively address issues.

«Convenient City» / Petitions.by is a web platform for submitting civil petitions to the government on political ideas, local complaints, and other official questions and issues. The project offers an alternative mechanism for coordinating collective actions and conducts informational campaigns to amplify the voices of citizens at the local level. By organizing training sessions and meetings, the project invites civic activists to learn how to interact with government bodies, collaborate with the media, and utilize various tools for petition promotion.

«Bold people can create a petition, less bold ones can support it»

In 2011, the authorities passed a law allowing for electronic appeals. At that time, collecting signatures and solving problems through petitions was a very relevant idea. When Vladimir Kovalkin and like-minded individuals launched Petitions.by in 2015, similar portals were already functioning in Slovakia and Poland. However, there were no convenient digital solutions in Belarus. Petitions.by became a portal where people could write about their issues in the form of appeals and publish them.

– Bold people can create a petition, less bold ones can support it. Citizens can unite based on territorial interests. For example, a local activist may not know how many other proactive people are around who care about what’s happening in their city. With Petitions.by, people come together on issues that concern everyone. This creates an opportunity to voice a problem and unite people around its solution. Public petitions then make their way into the media and spark public discussion. This is also important because society learns about democracy, and the authorities remember accountability. Engaging in public dialogue allows for different perspectives on the same issues. For some, launching a battery plant in Brest means job opportunities, for others, it means environmental harm. This is the development of discussion around the problem.

The process of submitting a petition is extremely simple. The first step is to define the essence of the problem. Explain what it entails, provide facts and other supporting information confirming its relevance, and indicate what normative legal acts address this issue. Then, describe what the petitioner suggests the government agency should do to solve this problem. The second step involves collecting signatures. If necessary, you can request support from the Petitions.by team to promote the petition in the media. After the signature collection period ends, the petition will be automatically sent to the recipient.

The third step involves monitoring the authorities’ response – whether they resolve the issue and/or provide a response. By law, a response must come no later than 15 days from the date of sending the appeal (in some cases, one month).

Kovalkin believes that the format of collective appeals is convenient for the authorities:

– It’s easier for officials to work with one well-crafted text supported by many signatures. This saves them from having to process numerous similar and poorly formulated appeals. Petitions.by helps activists prepare appeal texts, making them convenient and well-founded. The project’s in-house lawyer ensures that the request is formulated legally correctly, in language understandable to officials, and with references to relevant legal acts. This increases the chances that the appeal will be considered at a higher level.

«Officials Use the Same Roads and Clinics. They are Interested in Solving Local Problems»

From a legal perspective, the number of signatures under a petition does not matter. However, Vladimir Kovalkin is confident that for the system, the difference between individual appeals and collective petitions, signed by hundreds and thousands of people, is significant. According to him, the Lukashenko regime pays great attention to petitions, viewing them as a tool for identifying problematic issues at early stages. The Department of Financial Investigations (DFR) and the State Control Committee (SCC) closely monitor the work of officials. During inspections of organizations, they first study citizens’ appeals to find compromising information.

– This is especially relevant before Lukashenko’s visits. Regulatory bodies conduct inspections in advance and provide him with information about any violations found. In turn, Lukashenko uses this information for public criticism of officials. No one wants to be subjected to such criticism, so collective appeals become an effective tool for influencing officials.

«Petitions.by Aims to Solve Everyday Problems of Ordinary People»

Like many civil society organizations (CSOs), Petitions.by fell victim to «purges». Based on a decision by the Ministry of Information, access to the Petitions.by website in Belarus was restricted. The conclusion of the Interdepartmental Commission stated that the «Convenient City» portal was a platform «for collecting signatures under protest petitions aimed at destabilizing the situation in Belarus».

Despite the blockade, the Petitions.by platform continues its work. Developers successfully find ways to circumvent restrictions by redirecting traffic and changing domains. The portal also adapts to new legislation.

When submitting petitions, it is not indicated that signatures were collected using Petitions.by. The collection of signatures on the portal remains safe. Previously, collective appeals could be sent via email or through a special form on the website of a government agency. Now, however, it is necessary to use a new government portal through which citizens can interact with authorities at all levels – from local housing and utilities services to ministries.

Belarusians can still gather signatures and submit petitions. The only thing that has changed is the legal approach to processing appeals: now, petitions created on Petitions.by are submitted through the government portal. Additionally, citizens can submit their appeals individually. The requirements for the content of the text remain the same.

– A section called «Public Discussions» has been launched, where information is collected from government websites using a crawler. In the future, we plan to give users the opportunity to independently publish content, thereby helping to address current issues. There is a guide that explains in simple language how to effectively promote petitions.

Petitions.by sees its path in the development of the community and positions itself as a social network of activist orientation. The platform also provides free online courses on developing leadership skills. For example, in the «Activist School» you can learn how to effectively solve local problems. The platform also covers issues in the field of housing and utilities, urban planning, education, and healthcare.

Petitions.by collaborates with other NGOs. Environmentalists, cycling activists, and medical professionals show particular activity because these spheres are closely related to urban life and the everyday problems of people. Webinars on current environmental protection issues are held jointly with environmentalists. Cycling activists share their experience and knowledge on developing cycling infrastructure, including bike paths and bike garages. Collaboration with medical professionals becomes especially important in the conditions of a shortage of medical personnel.

– We are open to everyone. Petitions.by is aimed at solving the everyday problems of ordinary people and is ready to provide assistance in promotion and legal support.

«People Prefer to Stay Away from Any Interaction with Authorities»

In 2024, new petitions are still emerging. However, the restrictions imposed by the authorities are having an impact. Vladimir Kovalkin explains that the number of petitions created has halved, and the number of signatures on them has decreased eightfold. The mass audience is frightened by the situation and prefers not to participate in any activities.

– After the blockade, there has been a decrease in user activity. This is undoubtedly caused by repression. People are afraid to sign petitions and disclose their identity because it requires leaving personal data. For each petition, it is necessary to leave personal data, otherwise, it has no legal force. Visits to the Petitions.by website have halved, and user activity has decreased sevenfold. People read the information but avoid taking any action.

Another factor contributing to the decline in activity among Belarusians, according to Kovalkin, is disillusionment with legal institutions. In August-September 2020, a campaign was conducted to collect signatures for the recall of deputies of the House of Representatives. The authorities predictably did not respond to political demands, and the petition did not lead to any results.

– People learned the lesson of learned helplessness, realizing that petitions have no real power in the conditions of a non-functioning legal system. Trust in state institutions has been undermined. People prefer to stay away from any interaction with authorities, which has had a negative impact on the institution of appeals and petitions.

«Authorities Understand the Need to Establish Dialogue with the People, but Do Not Know How to Do It»

Initially, the Petitions.by platform was created to address the everyday problems of ordinary people. The portal acted as an intermediary that transmitted the needs of citizens.

– In the conditions of an authoritarian regime, information is constantly distorted. Lukashenko’s environment does not allow alternative opinions to reach him. An information vacuum is created to keep the dictator in a good mood. The institution of petitions, although not perfect, gave Lukashenko the opportunity to understand what was happening in the country.

According to Vladimir Kovalkin, the restriction on the ability to submit petitions negatively affects the government’s awareness of public opinion:

– Deprived of this tool, the authorities face governance problems. Today, any problems in Belarus are solved according to the principle: a well-tied patient does not need anesthesia. However, coercive methods cannot be a long-term solution. The authorities understand the need to establish dialogue with the people, but do not know how to do it. The elimination of independent media, civil society organizations only exacerbates the information vacuum. Therefore, the authorities must recognize the need for independent sources of information. When a dictator goes against the will of the majority, he must understand whether he has the resources for it.

«Dictatorial Regimes Fear What They Cannot Control»

Vladimir Kovalkin emphasizes that participation in civil activism can solve multiple problems at once:

– It’s like a sandbox for preparing for larger endeavors. Initially, active people focus on solving local problems. For them, civic activism becomes a path to improving life in their yard, home, or district. For more ambitious individuals, activism can serve as a springboard to a political career.

In his opinion, working with citizen appeals helps acquire necessary skills and understand if this sphere is suitable for the person. Thus, civic activism acts as a political school, providing an opportunity not only to contribute to problem-solving but also to try oneself in the role of a future leader.

– In essence, repairing a road or school is your little political campaign. You can communicate with people and test your activist and leadership qualities. National leaders then emerge. One of the key aspects of civic activism is finding like-minded people. It’s a kind of club where people can exchange ideas, organize joint actions, and simply communicate without feeling lonely. Moreover, even achieving small results within activism gives people confidence in themselves. It’s a positive psychological effect. Dictatorial regimes fear what they cannot control.

In political terms, says Vladimir, this means fighting against atomization in society, against the rupture of social ties, feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as fear of communication due to repression. He believes that the regime deliberately encourages absenteeism among people, which represents a lack of participation in public life and plays into the hands of dictatorship. Another factor is learned helplessness – a psychological state in which a person, after experiencing a series of failures, stops attempting to take action.

– This is precisely what the regime tries to impose on people. Petition campaigns, in turn, help to fight against this. Citizens find like-minded individuals – you fight against atomization. By voicing problems, you fight against absenteeism. Typically, petitions address small, entirely solvable problems – you fight against learned helplessness.

«Comfortable City – these are democratic processes»

Even in Belarusian conditions, it’s important to maintain faith in oneself, Vladimir Kovalkin continues. In February 2021, Prosecutor General Alexander Shved initiated the recognition of the white-red-white flag as extremist symbolism. At that time, a petition in support of the national symbol collected about 110,000 signatures.

– I can congratulate everyone who signed. The petition played an important role in preventing this from happening. The Lukashenko regime saw a huge number of people supporting national symbols. For me, it was a small hell. My servers were overloaded! I had to increase capacity eightfold.

After collecting signatures, it was necessary to verify them. According to Belarusian legislation, the authorities have the right to selectively check the people who left their signatures.

– Sometimes there are provocations: fake accounts are created using inappropriate language. This can become a formal reason for refusing to consider the petition.

The technical team of the Petitions.by platform worked for a long time to automate the signature verification process. Currently, 90% of signatures are verified automatically, and 10% are verified manually. However, there were so many signatures that the process of verification kept Vladimir awake for several sleepless nights.

Petitions.by played its role in the fate of Osmolovka. The public managed to preserve the district:

– In that period, the authorities were not yet so aggressively disposed towards such activities, and at the architects’ council, it was decided to leave the district alone.

Another interesting petition was the initiative to protect the Pripyat River. Fishermen collected more than 1,800 signatures against allowing commercial fishing. Thanks to their efforts, the fishermen managed to preserve the river for themselves.

Responding to the question of what «Convenient City» means to him, Vladimir says:

– I like the concept of a garden city. It’s low-rise development, wide spaces between houses, with plenty of parks. A good example is the Scandinavian countries. There you find a barrier-free environment, convenient and simple architecture, and good transportation accessibility. It’s a combination of nature and comfortable living space.

From a political standpoint, Vladimir continues, «Convenient City» means democratic processes, discussion, and inclusion of everyone in common affairs.

– When homeowners participate in decision-making processes, they feel responsible for their neighborhood, their home, and their city. My city is my property. Participation and democratic processes. In the «Convenient City», we decide how to live together.

Text: Herman Zabaronak. Photo: Alisa Hanchar

The special project «Survivors» documents the state of Belarusian civil society organizations (CSOs) in the year 2024.