Dozens of people were arrested on Sunday by Belarusian police trying to break up an opposition demonstration against the controversial re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.
The demonstrators are contesting the victory of Alexander Lukashenko, 66 years old, 26 of whom are at the head of Belarus, who was re-elected on August 9 with 80% of the votes, according to his claims, while his critics denounce fraud.
The two largest demonstrations in the history of the country
On 16 and 23 August, the opposition succeeded in a tour de force to bring nearly 100,000 people to the streets of Minsk despite pressure and threats from the authorities, the two largest demonstrations in the country’s history. On Sunday, as multiple groups ranging from several hundred to several thousand protesters converged on central Minsk, the riot police tried to prevent them, making dozens of arrests. Present in large numbers and with vehicles and giant gates, the riot police squared Independence Square and other places in central Minsk, alongside masked and armed soldiers, without any distinctive signs, according to an AFP journalist.
The results of the presidential election were rejected by the European Union, which is preparing sanctions against senior Belarusian officials and urged Alexander Lukashenko to dialogue with the opposition. For his part, Alexander Lukashenko refused to make any concessions and denounced a Western plot to bring him down. On Friday, he again accused the West of wanting to overthrow him in order to weaken Russia.
Russian support
So far it enjoys the cautious support of its closest ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has expressed his readiness to intervene at his neighbor’s if the protests degenerate while calling on the authorities and opposition to negotiate. The two men spoke on the phone on Sunday, Vladimir Putin congratulating Alexander Lukashenko on his 66th birthday and promising “the strengthening of the Russian-Belarusian alliance and the development of cooperation in all fields,” according to a statement from the Kremlin.
The Europeans had urged Vladimir Putin to put pressure on his Belarusian counterpart to start a dialogue with the “coordination council” formed by the opposition to promote a peaceful transition at the head of the country. Alexander Lukashenko refused, denouncing an attempt to “seize power”. The opposition “council” is being prosecuted for “undermining national security” and two of its members have been sentenced to short prison terms in other cases. In Minsk and other cities of the country, daily rallies have been taking place since August 9 despite martial declarations by Alexander Lukashenko and repression.
Source: 20 minutes
