Region: ... and a tough year for Ukraine and Belarus

It was a tumultuous year for Ukraine and Belarus as both countries faced scathing criticism from global leaders for what many fear are signs indicative of a collective "backslide" from democracy.

In Ukraine, President Viktor Yanukovych has been on the hot seat since the start of the trial of former Prime Minister - and his chief political rival - Yulia Tymoshenko. She had been accused of having abused her power while in office by making a deal for Russian natural gas during a disruption in gas flow between Russia and Europe.

The trial attracted the attention of the international community who viewed it as merely political persecution of the opposition and the court proceedings were denounced as a "show trial."

Her conviction and subsequent prison sentence of seven years put in jeopardy Yanukovych's desire to strengthen ties with the European Union.

"It's a pretty interesting accomplishment," Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told The Prague Post in October. "He's receiving public criticism from Brussels, Washington and Moscow. He's almost unanimously failing on some very important and basic democratic questions."

Yanukovych has maintained that as president he cannot interfere with the judicial process, but given the further charges Tymoshenko has faced since her conviction, he still faces accusations that he is behind the legal attack on his political opponent.

In Belarus, longtime President Alexander Lukashenko had an even more challenging year fending off critics who consider him Europe's "last dictator," all while his nation's economy collapsed.

Lukashenko, who has held the presidency for 17 years, has seen his career marked by his strict totalitarian methods of using violence and anti-democratic methods to stamp out any opposition to his regime, most recently after the disputed 2010 elections that saw him returned to office for another term.

But his grip on power has begun to erode as the Belarusian economy has crumbled. The country has been plagued by the worst economic crisis since its independence from the Soviet Union, which has devalued its currency and left increasingly impoverished citizens unable to buy basic goods.

Lukashenko blamed the deadly April bombing of a Minsk metro station on the media, who gave voice to "enemies" intent on "destabilizing" the country. The blast killed 13 and wounded hundreds.

But as Lukashenko's popularity in the country continues to wane, experts say he has no designs on leaving.

"He will stay as long as he can," said Siarhei Bohdan, a research fellow with the Institute of Political Studies, a Belarusian think tank in Lithuania. "He … works according to his instincts, not rationally. And the instincts don't allow him to even consider resigning."

Jack Buehrer can be reached at
jbuehrer@praguepost.com