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Even if the tone sharpens, the protesters in Belarus are not giving up. Opposition supporters met again to protest against President Lukashenko. And the security forces are taking action against them again.
In Minsk, people have been pouring into the city center since noon. As in recent weeks, the opposition in Belarus has again called for demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko. Despite threats from the police and the government, they are not detained. There were also new protests in several other cities.
Already at the beginning of the demonstrations there were clashes with the security forces. The opposition portal Nexta showed videos on the Telegram messaging service, in which you can see how the OMON police officers take people out of the crowd and take them away. According to reports from the Russian news agency TASS, more than ten protesters have already been arrested in the capital, Minsk.
Police presence and threats
Hundreds of police and military are on duty. In Minsk, the Independence Square in the center was cordoned off again and the security forces blocked the streets. According to the dpa news agency, soldiers with assault rifles were found in the Palace of the Republic.
Beforehand, the Ministry of the Interior had again warned against participating in unauthorized demonstrations. The authorities also threatened violence.
Hundreds of arrests in Frauenmarsch
According to the Interior Ministry, 415 people were arrested yesterday during the women’s march, which also takes place regularly in Minsk for several weeks. 385 were released again. There have also been arrests in other cities.
“New phase of escalation”
The opposition Coordination Council spoke of a “new stage in the escalation of violence against peaceful protesters.” The number of arrests has also increased. 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.”
But the opposition is also pressing. Nexta published a list on Telegram with the names and dates of birth of around 1,000 members of the security forces who use violence against peaceful protesters. A group of hackers called “Cyber Partisans” had compiled the list accordingly. Nexta said the forces had been warned in advance that their names would be released if they carried out “criminal orders” from the government.
Protesters in Belarus are demanding the resignation of the government around President Alexander Lukashenko and new elections in which he will no longer be allowed to run. 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.
