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According to the human rights group Vyasna, more than 1,000 protesters were arrested in Sunday’s rally against the ruler Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. The human rights center listed the names of more than 1,040 people arrested on its website Sunday night. Therefore, most of them were in police custody in the capital Minsk. There were also several journalists among them. Many were released that night after being checked. Initially, the authorities did not release figures on the arrests.
For months there have been massive protests against the ruler Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. During the recent protests, hooded security forces cracked down on protesters.
In the capital Minsk, uniformed men used tear gas and stun grenades against peaceful protesters, as shown in videos on the Telegram news channel. In this way the individual rallies were dissolved. There were several injured.
The footage showed protesters fleeing black-clad uniforms or trying to avoid arrests. The security forces repeatedly beat people. Uniformed men with assault rifles were seen in the streets. By early afternoon, the human rights group Vyazna had spoken of more than 150 arrests. Several thousand people were in large groups in Minsk. There were also actions in other cities.
Mobile internet largely disconnected
Once again, around 15 metro stations in Minsk were blocked to prevent protesters from entering the city center. The mobile internet was also largely shut down, this time in the morning. The authorities wanted to make meetings difficult at meetings. In addition, several streets and squares were cordoned off, some with heavy equipment. Many prisoner transports could be seen in the capital.
Since the presidential elections on August 9, the country has experienced a serious internal political crisis. Lukashenko, 66, had been declared the winner with 80.1 percent of the vote. The EU no longer recognizes him as president. The opposition sees civil rights activist Svetlana Tichanovskaya as the real winner. He fled to the EU country Lithuania, fearing for his safety.
Now was the 99th day of the protest. The protesters recalled the death of a 31-year-old a few days ago. The man whom the democratic movement reveres as a hero is said to have been attacked. A day later he died from his injuries. “We will not forgive the death of Roman Bondarenko,” Tichanovskaya wrote on Telegram. The people of Belarus must continue to fight together for freedom and their lives.
Editor’s Note: In the afternoon, the human rights group Vyasna counted more than 150 arrests; overnight they updated the data to more than 1,000 arrests. We have adjusted our message accordingly.
