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Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Minsk, on Monday night, saying that Lukashenko had stolen the election victory from the unexpected political rookie Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
The police used rubber bullets, incendiary grenades and tear gas against the protesters, but the protesters responded with stones and pyrotechnic cartridges, in addition to erecting barricades, reported AFP news agency reporters, protesters and witnesses to the events.
“There are too many people against Lukashenko,” a 34-year-old protester named Pavel told AFP. – Our goal is to overthrow Lukashenko. He is not worthy of being president. “
According to a former AFP photographer there, in a hotbed of riots in Minsk, protesters, mostly men but also several women, built barricades with sacks, buckets and metal barriers.
Scanpix / ITAR-TASS photo / Second day protests repressed in Belarus
Tihanovskaya, who said she considered herself the winner of Sunday’s election and called on Lukashenko to resign, had no known whereabouts Monday night.
A man died Monday night when an unknown explosive device was detonated in his hand, the militia reported. He became the first officially recognized victim of post-election protests.
“One of the protesters tried to launch an unidentified explosive charge at the security forces. It exploded in his hand,” the Interior Ministry said, adding that the person had died from his injuries.
A spokeswoman for the militia said she still had no information on how many people were injured in the clashes from Monday night to Tuesday.
Tihanovskaya previously said that he would not participate in the demonstrations to avoid “provocations”.
“The services should think about how to transfer power to us peacefully,” he told reporters.
The 37-year-old mother of two decided to run for president when her husband, popular blogger Sergei Tichanovsky, was arrested. He himself tried to be a candidate but did not register.
Tihanovskaya’s campaign has sparked opposition. The move has become the most serious challenge for Lukashenko, the former president of the collective farm, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994 and has been dubbed “the last dictator of Europe.”
Location unknown
As of late Monday, Tihanovskaya’s whereabouts were unknown at its headquarters, AFP spokeswoman Anna Krasulina told AFP.
On Monday, Tikhaniovskaya went to lodge a complaint with the Central Election Commission and spent three hours there, said A. Krasulina.
When the candidate left the CRK headquarters, the connection with her was cut, the spokeswoman added, but did not elaborate.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius also said he would not be able to speak with S. Tikhanovskaja and was concerned for his safety.
“I tried to contact her for several hours, but her whereabouts are unknown after she visited the electoral commission to protest the vote counting. The lawyer left there, but it is not clear where she is, the staff do not know,” said L Linkevičius to BNS.
“This raises concerns about their security and the situation,” the minister added.
Later, some sources in Belarus claimed that after three hours, Tikhanovskaya was able to contact and “is fine”.
Earlier Monday, election officials confirmed that Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term, getting more than 80 percent. votes, and S. Tikhanovskaya came in second, receiving almost 10 percent of the vote.
White House ‘deeply concerned’
The White House said on Monday it was “deeply concerned” by the events in Belarus, adding that “the intimidation of opposition candidates and the arrest of peaceful protesters” were some of the many events that overshadowed the elections and the situation after.
Eliot Engel, chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Michael McCaul, the committee’s top Republican, also expressed concern about the events in Belarus.
“We are deeply concerned about the violent arrests and repression of peaceful protesters, democracy activists and journalists for whom Belarusian officials, both uniformed and civilian, are responsible. Instead of elections that have been rigged from the start, the people of Belarus deserves to elect its own representatives and be free from fear and violence by exercising these fundamental rights, “the House of Representatives said in a statement on its website.
“We support those who bravely risk their security in the fight for a free and democratic state, and call on President Aliaksandr Lukashenko to put an end to these senseless acts of violence.” The sovereignty and independence of Belarus can only be strengthened if the government it fully accepts the democratic principles that the people have demanded to flood the streets, “the legislators added.
Republican Jim Risch, who heads the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has also condemned the violence by Belarusian security forces against protesters.
“Over the weekend, the people of Belarus tried to participate in the democratic process and hoped that their votes would be counted correctly and that their choice of leadership would be respected. The fact that President Lukashenko has chosen to respond to violence and violence. repression against the opposition and protesters is incomprehensible, “Rischo said in a statement Monday.
“Mr. Lukashenko should allow yesterday’s vote to be counted correctly and resign if, according to reports, he was not democratically elected.” It should also put an immediate end to the crackdown on the media, the disruption of the Internet, and the arrests and violence against those seeking a different path for Belarus. “The transfer of power is vital for the future of Belarus and its sovereignty,” stressed the senator.
The European government also raised questions about the result of the vote. Germany has declared that it has “serious doubts” about the development of the vote and France has asked for moderation.
However, Lukashenko was greeted with victory by Minsk’s ally Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Lukashenko himself did not intend to give up and vowed not to “destroy” Belarus.
He also claimed that the country’s security services were monitoring the opposition’s contacts with countries such as Poland, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic, allegedly sending instructions and directing like sheep.
Thousands of people took to the streets in several Belarusian cities to protest the “rigged elections” on Sunday night after the voting ended. Some 3,000 people were detained in clashes with the militia, including about 1,000 in Minsk, law enforcement officials said.
Photos and videos released by opposition media show militants firing deafening grenades and firing rubber bullets into the crowd, as well as a special services car crashing into protesters and crushing one of them.
Young protesters drenched in blood lay on the ground or were dragged away by the police.
The Interior Ministry said dozens of protesters and militiamen had been injured in the capital, in addition to accusing some of the protesters of inciting clashes.
The Belarusian investigation committee said it had launched 21 criminal investigations into “mass riots” and violence against law enforcement officials. More than 80 people were arrested.
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