Thousands gather in the capital, Minsk, as Belarus hosts a weekend of new demonstrations with growing pressure on longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko.
With the opposition gaining momentum after days of protests over last Sunday’s controversial presidential vote, Lukashenko’s main election contender Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called on supporters to run again this weekend.
Step Vaessen of Al Jazeera, reported from Minsk, said protesters began gathering near the Pushkinskaya subway station to honor Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester who died Monday and whose funeral was held .
“Thousands gathered here in the last hour. They held a minute’s silence. People are here on the streets for the seventh day in a row to protest not only police violence but also the election results,” she said.
“They are asking for the resignation of President Lukashenko. They are also asking for fresh elections. So far the government has not responded to any of their requests.”
Thousands sing, “Sve-ta! Sve-ta!” (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya). pic.twitter.com/oArqFBwNGS
– Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) August 15, 2020
A “March for Freedom” is planned in Central Minsk on Sunday, a week after the contested election that 65-year-old Lukashenko claims to have won with 80 percent of the vote.
Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political novice who ran after other opposition candidates, including her husband, was jailed, accused Lukashenko of voting and demanded that he step down so new elections could be held.
On Tuesday, she left the country for neighboring Lithuania, with her allies saying she came under official pressure.
On Friday, she again came out with the call for a weekend of “peaceful mass gatherings” in cities across the country.
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Tikhanovskaya, Belarus selector, flees to Lithuania (03:01) |
She also asked authorities to hold her accountable for a crime committed by the police in protest after the election which saw more than 6,700 people arrested.
Hundreds were injured after police used bullets, stun grenades and, in at least one case, live rounds to disperse the crowd.
Officials have confirmed two deaths in the riots, including Taraikovsky who they say died when an explosive device went into his hand during a protest, and another man who died in custody after he was arrested in ‘ the southeastern city of Gomel.
On Friday, authorities began releasing hundreds of those arrested and many emerged from detention with horrific accounts of beatings and torture.
Amnesty International condemned “a campaign of widespread torture and other ill-treatment by the Belarusian authorities, which aims to crush peaceful protests in some way”.
In some of the largest demonstrations to date, thousands marched in Minsk on Friday to denounce police violence and oust Lukashenko.
In euphoric scenes on Independence Square in Minsk, young troops of domestic prime ministers pinched and tugged at a government building and put flowers in their anti-riot shields.
Unlike the scenes of violent detention days earlier, police stood still.
‘We will not give up the land to anyone’
On Saturday, the Prime Minister of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania called on Belarus to hold new ‘free and fair’ elections.
A new vote should be held “in a transparent manner with the participation of international observers”, the leaders said in a joint statement after meeting in Estonia.
The Kremlin said on Saturday that President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko had agreed in a phone call that the “problems” in Belarus would be resolved quickly.
“Both sides expressed confidence that any problems that have arisen will be resolved soon,” the Kremlin said in a statement after Lukashenko said he needed to contact Moscow over the growing protests against his government.
Lukashenko on Saturday denied offers of foreign mediation, and told defense officials that he would not relinquish power.
“We will not give up the country to anyone,” Belta News Agency quoted Lukashenko as saying at a meeting at the Ministry of Defense.
“We do not need foreign governments, we do not need intermediaries,” he said.
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