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Tens of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets on Sunday (30) in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to protest the result of the presidential elections, which kept President Alexandre Lukashenko in power.
He has held office since 1994 and has faced since the elections, On August 9, one unprecedented protest movement for his supposed victory with 80% of the votes. The opposition denounces his re-election as fraudulent.
A The European Union does not recognize the result either and prepares new sanctions against senior Belarusian officials. Lukashenko denies electoral fraud.
Protesters in central Minsk, Belarus, against President Alexander Lukashenko – Photo: Reuters
Protesters arrived in central Minsk with balloons, flowers and flags this afternoon. Belarus had a white, red, and white flag for a brief period in the early 1990s and it became a symbol of anti-government protests..
Passing cars honked in solidarity. Some women lay down in protest in front of a cordon of security forces men, according to Reuters.
the The protesters then went to Lukashenko’s residence, guarded by security forces with shields, water cannons and pickup trucks.. A column of armored military vehicles was seen driving into the city center, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
Protesters in central Minsk, Belarus, against President Alexander Lukashenko – Photo: Reuters
Police made sporadic arrests throughout the day, crowding people into the vans. At least 125 people were arrested, the Russian news agency RIA said, citing the Interior Ministry. Some protesters resisted arrest in what appeared to be plainclothes policemen, a witness said.
The first protests against the election results, in early August, were harshly repressed and resulted in three deaths, dozens injured and 7,000 detained.
Police officers arrest opposition supporters protesting the outcome of the presidential elections in Minsk. August 30 – Photo: Reuters
This Sunday, Lukashenko turns 66 and Russian President Vladimir Putin used the birthday call to invite the president to visit Moscow, in a sign of the Kremlin’s willingness to support Lukashenko as he resists unrest and the threat of new sanctions. Westerners.
- SEE ALSO: ‘Our people woke up,’ says opposition leader in Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko appeared on Sunday (23) with a bulletproof vest and a Kalashnikov rifle in his hands. – Photo: Belarusian State Radio and Television Company via AP
The day before, the government of Belarus withdrew the credentials of journalists from the foreign press and even deported some of these professionals.
According to the Belarusian diplomacy spokesperson, Anatoli Glaz, the decision was made in accordance with the recommendation of the inter-ministerial commission to combat extremism and terrorism.
On Saturday, a group of women marched through the streets of Minsk calling for an end to the police crackdown on protesters.
Led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is a refugee in Lithuania, the opposition organized two large demonstrations on August 16 and 23 and called another large protest on Sunday.
Thousands of women protest in Belarus against the government
