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Protesters marched on Sunday morning to Independence Square in central Minsk, demanding Alexander Lukashenko the resignation of the head of state, but according to reports on the ground, the police blocked the streets leading to the square with cordons.
TASZSZ correspondents reported that on Partizansky Avenue and other
Opposition protesters marched from the barrios to the central square of the capital, and cars passing by marching columns ran for their support.
It is not yet known if the protesters will reach the Plaza de la Independencia because the roads leading to it have been blocked with police cordons, and police cargo trucks, slave cars, water cannons and other riot gear are blocking the streets. all over. Victory Square and Oktyabrskaya were also closed with laces. A significant number of internal military contingents have been assigned to the Prime Minister’s Office in the zone of independence.
According to news agencies, the police have already begun arresting protesters in Independence Square, transporting dozens of people with slave transporters.
The day before, Saturday, in defiance of an official ban, she protested thousands of women in Minsk demanding Lukashenko’s resignation. Even then, serious police preparation accompanied the parade.
The Interior Ministry said on Sunday that 29 people had been indicted the previous day for participating in unauthorized mass movements. According to the ministry, there were 42 “sources of civil political activity” and more than 8.5 thousand people participated.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken with Lukashenko by phone and agreed to meet in Moscow in the coming weeks. According to the statement, the telephone conversation confirmed the mutual intention to consolidate the Russian-Belarusian alliance. Putin greeted Lukashenko on his birthday.
Putin and Lukashenko have spoken to each other several times over the past few days about the crisis in Belarus. Earlier, Putin said in an interview that he recognizes the result of the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9 and that Moscow is more moderate than the United States and European countries, which are putting political pressure on Minsk. He added that Russia is fulfilling its commitments in the framework of the Russian-Belarusian state union and assumes that the situation in Minsk will be resolved peacefully. Putin announced on Thursday that he had established a reserve of police forces to provide assistance to Belarus “if necessary,” and the move was met with fierce international criticism from, among others, NATO, Poland and the Belarusian opposition.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom and Switzerland harshly criticized the Belarusian authorities for taking action against the protesters. As they wrote, they condemn the disproportionate use of violence and demand that the Belarusian authorities stop doing so, in addition to threatening the citizens of the country with the use of military force.
There have been opposition demonstrations in Belarus since the presidential elections, more than three weeks ago. According to the official result of the elections, Lukashenko won his sixth consecutive head of state. According to Lukashenko, these demonstrations in his country are controlled from abroad, the opposition denies it. So far, brutal actions by internal security forces against protesters have resulted in at least three deaths, and authorities have detained thousands to break up peaceful resistance to the Lukashenko regime.
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