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Lukashenko’s opponents took to the streets again; again, the state apparatus reacted with a heavy hand: the security forces ended a massive demonstration in Minsk with water drops, stun grenades and arrests.
Another massive protest against President Alexander Lukashenko was violently broken up in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Security forces used water cannons and stun grenades against the protesters, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry told the AFP news agency. According to the human rights organization Vyasna, the police arrested at least 170 people across the country, 140 of them in Minsk.
Independent state media published images that have been seen more frequently in recent weeks: Masked riot police, soldiers and men in uniform ran out of unmarked minibuses at the protesters and beat them. A journalist for the independent newspaper Nascha Niwa filmed how the security forces apparently threatened the protesters with firearms. The news website Belsat reported that at least one injured person needed head treatment.
Chicane at all levels
Observers reported that, meanwhile, the mobile internet also shut down again. The authorities appear to want to prevent protesters from accessing the protest routes. In addition, several metro stations were closed and the police cordoned off numerous central streets. However, according to an AFP journalist, thousands of people returned to participate in the demonstration, despite bad weather.
On the Nexta Live group of the Telegram messaging service, which has two million subscribers, government critics called on protesters, among other things, to stop in front of the KGB prison in Minsk, where many members are being held. of the opposition. Lukashenko had surprisingly visited the prisoners there on Saturday.
Lukashenko at the table with members of the opposition
Photographs from his own press service showed him sitting at a table with various members of the opposition in a deserted conference room; among them Viktor Babariko, a former banker who wanted to run for the presidential election. However, he was arrested early on suspicion of tax evasion and his candidacy was canceled. That was one of the reasons why the trio of three women Svetlana Tichanowskaja, Maria Kolesnikowa and Weronika Zepkalo joined forces and entered the country’s political scene.
What does the visit mean?
The country is now wondering what Lukashenko’s visit meant. Several observers interpret it as a sign of political weakness that, after more than two months of protest, he himself publicly filmed himself with members of the opposition. Others speculate that the president wanted to send a de-escalation signal, in the hope that future demonstrations would be less popular.
And that also came out last night: Exiled opposition activist Tichanovskaya was allowed to phone her husband Sergei for the first time in four months. A short snippet of this was posted:
“We are doing everything possible so that you can leave soon. I do not know how long it will take, but we hope: very soon. We are doing everything necessary to change the situation in the republic. I can only hold out thanks to the Belarusians. I know we cannot move forward. back and we will never do it until they are all released, until we have reached new elections, “Tichanovskaya said.
Protests since the beginning of August
Belarus has now experienced the ninth consecutive weekend of protests. Since the controversial presidential elections in early August, people have regularly taken to the streets against Lukashenko. The 66-year-old was confirmed for a sixth term with 80.1 percent of the vote. The EU does not recognize the outcome of the elections. The opposition, on the other hand, sees Tichanovskaya as the real winner.
With information from Thielko Grieß, Deutschlandfunk Moscow
