Aleksandr G. Lukashenko brutally repressed those who opposed his claim of re-election as president. The crackdown on dissent has only deepened since.

The recent high school graduate carefully considered her outfit choices as she left for a summer folk festival.

She wore an enormous flower wreath in her golden hair and the typical all-white attire for the occasion. However, she chose a brown leather band instead of a red one while picking a sash for her skirt.

Red and white are the official colours of the protest movement in Belarus against Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the autocratic ruler of the nation. And even the simplest act of dissent might result in imprisonment. The young woman, who spoke on the condition that her name not be used in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention from the authorities, added, "I worry about drawing the wrong kind of attention from the authorities."