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They defy police violence and roadblocks: once again, tens of thousands have gathered in Belarus to protest against President Lukashenko. According to the Interior Ministry, 200 people were arrested. The soldiers secured the official residence.
In Belarus, tens of thousands of people took to the streets against the head of state Alexander Lukashenko. A spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry confirmed to the AFP news agency that there had been 200 arrests across the country in connection with the protests. According to the Wesna Center for Human Rights, the first 50 people were arrested even before the protest was formed. In the city of Gomel, the police are said to have used flare cartridges and tear gas. Water cannons are also reported to have been used. The Interior Ministry rejected the fact that stun grenades had been used.
Soldiers in front of the presidential palace
Several places in the center of the capital, Minsk, were cordoned off. Subway stations and shopping centers, where protesters had fled violence from security forces in previous demonstrations, were closed. Water cannons and armored vehicles hit the streets, prisoner transports and hundreds of militiamen were ready. The mobile Internet was interrupted as on the previous protest Sundays.
The soldiers took positions in the Palace of the Republic. The presidential palace was secured as a fortress because the authorities feared that the protesters might storm Lukashenko’s seat.
“Sweta is our president”
Participation in the demonstrations, however, was significantly lower than on the previous weekends. This time, the peaceful protests were specifically directed against Lukashenko’s sixth inauguration, criticized internationally, last Wednesday. The 66-year-old was sworn in as head of state for the sixth time in a row in a state event that was widely criticized as a secret operation. The democracy movement in Belarus, but also the EU, no longer recognize him as president. The protesters see Svetlana Tichanovskaya, 38, as the real winner of the presidential elections on August 9. “Sweta is our president,” chanted the townspeople. Many also shouted: “Long live Belarus!” and “This is our city.”
The demonstration on Sunday was, like the women’s rally on Saturday, dedicated to Tichanovskaya, like the “inauguration of the real president by the people.” The opposition leader, who fled to neighboring EU country Lithuania under pressure from Lukashenko’s power apparatus, thanked her compatriots for the bravery, who showed no fear despite the brutal arrests. “Today is the 50th day of our protests,” said the 38-year-old. “We have come to stop this regime and we are doing it peacefully.”
