Dictator or 'Dad'? Belarus leader suppresses all dissent

When Alexander Lukashenko became president in 1994, Belarus was an obscure country that had not even existed for three years

MOSCOW -- When Alexander Lukashenko became its president in 1994, Belarus was an obscure country that had not even existed for three years. Over the next quarter-century, he brought it to the world’s notice through dramatic repression, erratic behavior and colorful threats. Sunday's forced diversion of a commercial airliner and arrest of an opposition figure who was aboard epitomized his rule. His disdain for democratic norms and country’s dismal human rights record has made Belarus a pariah in the West, bringing him the sobriquet of “Europe’s last dictator.” The 66-year-old Lukashenko prefers to be styled as “Batka” — “Father” or “Dad” —a stern but wise patriarch leading a country out of infancy.