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Thousands of women demonstrated in Belarus. This time the security forces proceeded more harshly than usual: there were 37 arrests. Mass protests against Head of State Lukashenko have been announced again for today.
Masked uniformed men used massive violence against peaceful women in protests against authoritarian head of state Alexander Lukashenko. Thousands of women gathered in the capital, Minsk. There were 37 arrests, according to the Vyasna Center for Human Rights. There were also protests in other Belarusian cities.
A young woman suffered a laceration to her face from being beaten by a police officer in Minsk when he removed the mask from the face of a uniformed man and the man beat him with full force. Masked security forces surrounded the women in Freedom Square, grabbed them tightly, and put them into prisoner trucks.
The women were completely at peace, reported a reporter for the dpa news agency. Many women later managed to continue their protest march. The march later joined forces with other women until the crowd swelled into the thousands.
Reporter picked up during the TV change
Until now, the security forces have largely cracked down on women and arrested mainly men. Therefore, many protesters participated in the actions. Saturdays are traditionally marked by protests by women. In the end, however, they too came into the sights of the officers. Police had strongly warned against participation.
Video recordings on the online portal tut.by also showed how the women took a camera from an official with whom he was filming the protests. They yelled “Go away!” A journalist commenting on the situation on television was also taken away while she was working.
Tichanovskaya condemns police violence
The opposition called on women to take part in the demonstration to show Lukashenko that the protests in Belarus are gaining ground. Thousands of women participated in the demonstrations the previous Saturday.
Svetlana Tichanowskaja, who sees herself as the rightful winner of the presidential elections on August 9, condemned police violence against women from her exile in the EU. “I want to warn you that anyone who commits crimes against peaceful protesters and their people will be held responsible for them,” the 38-year-old said. “You have the opportunity to side with the people and stop executing criminal orders.”
Merkel worried
Chancellor Angela Merkel also reiterated her “great concern” about the events in Belarus. “There the campaign for democracy is literally trampled on,” she said in her weekly video message. “Our hearts beats with the peaceful protesters. The courage and determination with which they take to the streets for freedom and the rule of law is admirable.”
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also expressed his respect for the non-violent protesters. “The many peaceful protesters and, above all, the protesters prove every day that a solution is still possible through conversation,” the SPD politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Showing so much attitude, courage and dignity in the face of mass oppression, that deserves the highest respect.” Maas demanded: “Now it is important that we do not leave the people in Belarus alone.”
The human rights organization Vyasna sees the actions of the security forces as Lukashenko’s attempt to mark strength ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two heads of state will meet in Sochi on the Black Sea next Monday.
It should be about the strategic partnership between the two countries. Putin had declared beforehand that the people had the right to express their opinion. At the same time, however, he had promised Lukashenko that he would support him with the police or the troops.
“March of the heroes”: protests scheduled for today
Lukashenko’s opponents have also called for mass protests for today. Following the arrest of opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, it is eagerly awaited whether more people will take part in the actions than on previous weekends. Last Sunday, observers believed up to 100,000 protesters. In the capital Minsk, a “March of Heroes” is planned, which is also dedicated to Kolesnikowa. The 38-year-old woman had broken her passport this week after being kidnapped, thus avoiding deportation to neighboring Ukraine.
There have been daily protests in Belarus since the presidential elections about five weeks ago. Several opposition leaders and a few thousand protesters were arrested. Lukashenko claims electoral victory with more than 80 percent of the votes for him. However, the opposition considers Svetlana Tichanovskaya to be the real winner. The election is under international criticism for blatant forgery. So the European Union does not recognize them.
