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Police in Belarus cordon off and threaten; the protesters come anyway. Hundreds of people were arrested yesterday during a women’s march in Minsk. The opposition speaks of a new level of escalation.
As on previous weekends, the opposition in Belarus has again called protests against the head of state Alexander Lukashenko. And again the security forces are preparing for a large demonstration in the capital, Minsk. There, in the morning, the Plaza de la Independencia was once again cordoned off with metal bars to avoid the concentration of the protesters. The protests began in the square after the presidential elections on August 9.
The authorities also threatened violence again if people participated in the unauthorized demonstrations. According to the Interior Ministry, last Sunday there were 774 arrests. Observers said 150,000 participants.
Hundreds of arrests in Frauenmarsch
Just yesterday, hundreds of people were arrested during a women’s march in Minsk; civil rights groups spoke of more than 300. A total of around 2000 women participated in the march entitled “Glitzermarsch”. The protesters carried red and white flags and bright accessories. They shouted slogans like “Out with you and your riot police” or “We won’t forget!
The police got in the way of the women and dragged them to the emergency vehicles. Nina Baginskaja, 73, a veteran of the protest movement and a dissident who has been known since her fight against communists in Soviet times, was also forced into a van. At times prisoner transports were insufficient for the detainees, so some were released.
“New phase of escalation”
The opposition Coordination Council spoke of a “new stage in the escalation of violence against peaceful protesters.” Svetlana Tichanovskaya, one of the opposition leaders, praised the bravery of the women in a video message from her exile in Lithuania. “They show up despite being constantly threatened and pressured.”
The protesters are demanding the resignation of the government around President Alexander Lukashenko and new elections in which he will no longer be allowed as a candidate. Lukashenko had been declared the winner of the election with 80.1 percent of the vote after 26 years in office. The opposition, however, considers Tichanovskaya to be the real winner.
