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In Belarus, massive protests against the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko continue. The Interior Ministry confirms arrests and use of water cannons. The authorities had previously withdrawn their accreditations from all foreign journalists.
In Belarus, opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko once again took to the streets in mass protests. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, more than 100,000 people took part in a protest march dedicated to “political prisoners” on Sunday afternoon. The police used water cannons against the protesters. According to the human rights group Vyazna, more than 100 people were arrested in Minsk and other cities.
As on the previous Sunday, the security forces were there with a massive contingent, and armored vehicles were also in action. The police also restricted access to the Internet and cellular networks and local public transport to prevent the influx of protesters. According to a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, water cannons were used and there were arrests, but she did not want to give further details.
Images and videos posted on social media showed large crowds in Minsk and protest marches towards a detention center. Some protesters carried photographs of victims of police violence. Other protesters waved opposition red and white flags and drummed.
“Set her free”
“Let them go free,” protesters shouted after reaching the infamous Okrestin Street prison, which some Belarusians also call the “torture chamber”. Several participants from previous demonstrations are being held in prison. The protesters communicate through the opposition channel Nexta Live on the Telegram messaging service, to which more than two million people are now subscribed.
According to reports from the opposition channel Nexta, the Belarusian authorities have opened more than 250 criminal proceedings against Lukashenko’s opponents, including activists and bloggers. “The authorities have taken these people hostage,” he said. “We have not forgotten them and we demand the freedom of all political prisoners!”
Authorities threaten by text message
According to the Belarusian human rights organization Vyasna, there are now 77 “political prisoners” in Belarus. In the run-up to Sunday’s protests, authorities had withdrawn the accreditation of all foreign journalists, making it even more difficult to report on opposition actions. Numerous Belarusians have received text messages from the Interior Ministry in recent days warning them not to participate in unauthorized meetings. “Make no mistake,” he said.
The most recent demonstrations took place just days after Brussels and Washington imposed sanctions on representatives of the government and the country’s authorities. The EU sanctioned some 40 Belarusian officials on Friday, including the Interior Minister, his deputies, police officers, judges and prison chiefs. In response, Belarus announced that it had drawn up its own list of sanctioned European officials without revealing the names of those affected.
Since the controversial presidential elections on August 9, tens of thousands of Belarusians have demonstrated every weekend against Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years. They accuse him of electoral fraud and demand new elections. She is convinced that opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya, who has since fled into exile, was the real winner of the elections. Meanwhile, Tichanovskaya is seeking contact with Western executives such as French President Emmanuel Macron. On Tuesday she wants to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
