After Lukashenko’s rival’s arrest, people gathered in central Minsk: we want a change



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The objective of this campaign is to show how many people in the country who are concerned about change publish on news.tut.by.

The promotion started at 6 p.m. in the evening square near the Belarus Philharmonic, and at 10 p.m. The human chain already extended to the Plaza de la Independencia.

“Being a fighter on the couch and posting comments on a YouTube channel is no longer enough. It is time to show that 97 percent of us really do. Those who want change, free elections and a better future for our Belarus in the country, “say the organizers of the campaign.

On Muliavin Boulevard, reporters saw a black Ford Transit minibus with plainclothes officers and two buses full of uniformed officers. The State Highway Inspection has closed Avenida Independencia.

When people, mostly in masks and at a safe distance, began to line up on the avenue, militia officers patrolled nearby, and their colleague in civilian clothing asked people to stay closer to the buildings.

Passing drivers expressed their solidarity by pointing to campaign participants.

People were standing in the chain even after midnight. Later, gradually it began to divide.

Belarusian authorities arrested President Alexander Lukashenko’s main rival, Babarik, on Thursday on suspicion of financial crimes to challenge him in the August elections, confirmed Ivan Tertel, head of the State Audit Office.

“Babarika is detained because he was the organizer and leader of the illegal activities and tried to influence the testimony of witnesses, hide traces of previous crimes and a few days ago, withdraw a large number of the accounts he administers,” Tertelis told reporters. .

He added that the Belgazprombank case, previously led by Babarika, was “being dealt with in various directions.”

“Firstly, we are talking about machinations with invoices worth more than 60 million. Dollars (53 million euros); due to them, large amounts of money were transferred to the foreign accounts of subordinate institutions,” said I. Tertelis.

“In addition, we found money laundering schemes that sent large amounts of foreign currency to foreign banks to subsidiaries. One of those structures is the Latvian bank ABLV,” continued the president of the State Audit Office.

According to him, according to data received from Latvia, “from the Belgazprombank accounts to the bank [ABLV] Accounts of more than 430 million were transferred. dollars (383 million euros) ”, stated I. Tertelis.

In addition, he added, “we have recorded many cases in which the individuals of the bank accepted bribes in exchange for loans granted to entrepreneurs and individuals with a history of bad credit.”

“It has also been discovered that many officials have contributed to the organization of the schemes by effectively forcing citizens to obtain loans in their own name and then transferring the funds and providing those funds to citizens of interest,” the official said.

Last week, Babarika-related companies were registered at the Belgazprombank headquarters, which is investigating a criminal case of tax evasion and money laundering. At least 12 people were detained, but the allegations against Lukashenko’s main rival in the elections were not made officially.

National Television reported that some of the people detained in this investigation testified against Babarik.

The National Bank of Belarus presented the interim external management of Belgazprombank on Sunday. Russian gas giant Gazprom, which controls the actions of this commercial bank, called the measure a “serious violation” of international law.

Belgazprombank has been operating in Belarus since 1990. Gazprom and its controlled Gazprombank each own 49.8 percent. shares of this bank.

Babarika ran Belgazprombank from mid-2000 to May of this year, when he announced his plans to run for president.

The police authorities of the former Soviet republic are strictly dealing with opposition candidates before the elections, during which Lukashenko will seek reelection for a sixth term.

In the run-up to the August 9 vote, the opposition movement was seen and many prominent figures were arrested.

In early June, Nikolai Statkevich, a Belarusian opposition politician, was arrested for 15 days after officers arrested dozens of activists following protests across the country.

On Monday his wife announced that N. Statkevičius had been detained for another 15 days,

Another popular opposition blogger, Sergei Tichanovsky, who called Lukashenko a “cockroach,” was arrested last month for violating public order. Authorities launched a criminal investigation into him and his followers.

9 million Belarus, a 65-year-old former collective farm president, has been in charge of Belarus since 1994. In November of last year, he did not rule out running twice more.

He calls opposition activists “criminal gangs,” accusing them of trying to disrupt the elections.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which oversees elections and military conflicts, has not recognized any election in the country since 1995 as free and fair.

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