Protests in Belarus: Police arrest more than 200 women in suppressing a peaceful demonstration | World News

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The Belarusian police have suppressed a women’s protest march in Minsk to demand the resignation of the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko.

More than 200 women demonstrating in the streets of the country’s capital were arrested on Saturday, including an elderly woman who has become a symbol of the protests that have raged for the past six weeks.

At least 2,000 women participated in the march, one of many who Belarusians have organized after the presidential elections on August 9 that they believe that Mr. Lukashenko won fraudulently.

MINSK, BELARUS - SEPTEMBER 19: A woman suffers head injuries as police surround peaceful protesters and arrest them en masse during a women's march on September 19, 2020 in Minsk, Belarus. Women have been at the forefront of Belarus' protest movement following the disputed presidential elections on August 9, which critics of the government say were rigged in favor of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko. (Photo by Jonny Pickup / Getty Images)
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The Belarusian police carried out mass arrests of peaceful protesters

Lukashenko has been President of Belarus for 26 years, during which time he has consistently cracked down on political opposition and independent media.

At times, protests in the country have drawn as many as 200,000 people, especially on Sundays in the capital, Minsk.

President Lukashenko with Vladimir Putin of Russia
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President Lukashenko with Vladimir Putin of Russia

According to human rights groups Viasna, more than 200 people were arrested during Saturday’s march.

“There were so many people detained that lines formed in the prisoner transports,” Viasna member Valentin Stepanovich told the Associated Press.

Women demonstrate in front of law enforcement officers during a rally to protest against the results of the presidential elections in Minsk on September 19, 2020. - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet state for 26 years , claimed to have defeated the opposition leader. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya with 80 percent of the vote in the August 9 elections. (Photo by - / TUT.BY / AFP) (Photo by - / TUT.BY / AFP via Getty Images)
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Protesters call for the resignation of the president

Among those arrested was Nina Bahinskaya, a 73-year-old ex-geologist whose defiance has made her an iconic figure among protesters.

The women in Saturday’s march chanted “we are walking”, referring to when the police told Ms. Bahinskaya that she was participating in an unauthorized protest and she replied, “I am taking a walk.”

Law enforcement officers detain women during a rally to protest against the results of the Belarusian presidential elections in Minsk on September 19, 2020. - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet state for 26 years old, he claimed to have defeated the opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. with 80 percent of the vote in the August 9 elections. (Photo by - / TUT.BY / AFP) (Photo by - / TUT.BY / AFP via Getty Images)
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Beatings have been reported among protesters who have been detained

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya praised the women’s march in a video statement from Lithuania, where she fled after being held inside a government election office after the elections.

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Tikhanovskaya said she was I’m not ready to talk about what happened yet to her during the time she was in custody.

MINSK, BELARUS - SEPTEMBER 19: Peaceful protesters are surrounded by police and arrested en masse during a women's march on September 19, 2020 in Minsk, Belarus. Women have been at the forefront of Belarus' protest movement following the disputed presidential elections on August 9, which critics of the government say were rigged in favor of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko. (Photo by Jonny Pickup / Getty Images)
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Police describe protests as unauthorized

She is believed to have been threatened with being separated from her two young children, whom she had already moved to Lithuania.

“They have scared and pressured women for the second month, but despite this, Belarusians continue their peaceful protest and show their incredible strength,” Ms Tikhanovskaya said of Saturday’s march.

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