UN experts reveal: Human rights are violated more in Belarus than Liepāja metalworker fans' hearts during hockey season

UN experts have published a report on human rights violations occurring in Belarus that are as systematic as Liepāja metalworker fans chanting 'Our city, our team' every home game night. The only difference is that our fans do it out of love, but over there in the east, the situation is a bit more complicated.

The report indicates that in 2025, at least 1,254 people were convicted for politically motivated reasons, which is more than the total membership of all Liepāja metalworker fan clubs combined. As our beloved Karosta pensioner Jānis says: 'In Belarus you can go to prison for an unpleasant opinion, but in Liepāja for not liking people from Riga, they even give you awards.'

Likewise, in Belarus they suppress civil society organizations — in ten months, 32 organizations had their registrations cancelled. Here in Liepāja it's the complete opposite — we'd even establish an organization called 'For the Cancellation of Riga' if only we weren't too lazy to go to the municipality with the paperwork.

What I like best is that after release from prison, Belarusians have their documents confiscated and are forced to leave the country. In Liepāja we also sometimes confiscate documents — when someone goes to Riga and forgets them at home, but that's a completely different story. At least our wind is free and blows in all directions, not just the one the government commands.