Protest in Minsk: masked men beat and “detain” people without distinctive signs

09/06/2020 Lithuania



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As the protesters began to disperse, masked men began detaining people one by one without distinguishing marks. At the beginning of an avenue, unknown individuals, with masks and sticks in hand, pounced on people and began to beat them. The police officers supervising the protest did nothing.

About 15 strangers wearing hats, masks and sticks in hand broke into Café O’Petit at the beginning of Winners’ Avenue. The protesters took refuge there. Unidentified people broke the glass door with sticks and entered. Some people were stretched.

Witness: They attacked a man given to no one

An ambulance arrived at a cafe in the Nemiga district. According to the portal tut.by, the girl took the boy out of the cafe. She said the guy was walking in shoes, strangely running towards him and started hitting him with sticks.

“It just came to our knowledge then. They were people without uniform, they wore baseball caps, masks, they punched him in the back, everywhere. Most likely the hands have dislocated the hand, the fingers are now somehow strangely standing, “said the girl.

At the end of the protest, men wearing helmets and shields who had blocked Lenin Street attacked the protesters. According to tut. From journalists, it was an unexpected act, as the protesters did not provoke the officials in any way. At least 20 people are reportedly detained at Victory Park.

A crowd of protesters withdrew from Lukashenko’s residence and made their way to the Kobrin Bridge. Local media reports that mass arrests have begun in Victory Park.

The Belarusian human rights center Viasna reports that some 147 unauthorized protesters have been arrested.

The list of detainees is published on the Viasna website and is constantly updated.

In addition, Viasna reports the arrests of protesters in other cities in the country, in particular in Grodno, Brest, Baranovichi, Mogilev, Vitebsk.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry also reports a growing number of arrivals on Sunday.

“The number of detainees who participated in unauthorized protests is increasing. The situation is under control, law enforcement officers are on duty under an improved regime,” said Olga Chemodanova, spokeswoman for the Belarusian Interior Ministry.

On Sunday, thousands of Belarusians took to the streets to protest against the election of Alexander Lukashenko as president. Most of the protesters gathered in Minsk, but marches are also taking place in other cities in the country.

Designated officials

In Minsk, despite the rains, the protesters do not withdraw. The crowd at the Independence Palace chanted: “Let me warm you up! Nothing pays us! Take off your helmet and he will run away and leave you here.

After OMON clashes with protesters at the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ), several people sought medical help, witnesses said.

According to witnesses, officials armed with rubber sticks prevented villagers from forming a column on Chabatarovo Street. The protesters were to march into the center of Minsk to participate in an opposition rally.

Law enforcement officers surrounded people and began to make arrests. The people resisted and released some of their own. Several people were injured in the clashes.

The protesters arrived at Lukashenko’s residence

The portal meduza.io announces that the protesters have arrived at the Independence Palace, Lukashenko’s residence. According to the portal tut.by, they were greeted and blocked by a riot police firewall, stretching a barbed wire in front of himself. Special team lined up behind the backs of the security forces.

A man armed with handicrafts also appeared from the crowd „a machine gun, “wrapped in gold foil with pink hearts painted on it, and a photo of Bruce Wilis stuck in his pocket. Addressing the officers, he said,” Gentlemen, I’m with you to the end! “.

The Interior Ministry said about 10 people were detained during protests in Minsk on Sunday. The Viasna law enforcement center announced that 37 protesters had been arrested in Minsk.

Protests are also taking place in other regions; detained in Grodno, where the portal tut.by. According to the data, there were several “brutal clashes with OMON, at some point someone sprayed tear gas”.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the center of Minsk for the protest, reported a correspondent for the AFP news agency.

A column of protesters headed towards President Aliaksandr Lukashenko’s residence, the Palace of Independence on State Flag Square, witnesses told Interfax.

The residence is surrounded by security forces, deployed by “Rubež” crowd control vehicles, armored vehicles.

An Interfax correspondent from Minsk also reported internet outages in various parts of the city.

Mobile phone provider A1 confirmed that the data transfer rate was lowered at the request of officials.

Officials gathered at Lukashenko’s residence to spray tear gas, and the protesters briefly withdrew. When they returned, they started calling the officers fascists.

As the protesters stand in the rain and chant slogans, a car of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with a tow truck drives through Minsk and the red and white flags hung by residents are removed.

Part of the protesters escaped the rain

In Minsk, due to the onset of rain, some of the participants in the anti-government march began to disperse, but at least 100,000. Protesters remain near the residence of President Aliaksandr Lukashenko, an Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

According to him, not all the protesters were wearing umbrellas and raincoats. Some people chose not to protest in the rain and left the square near the residence.

According to witnesses, there are still about 100,000 people in the Palace of Independence. people who are not going to break up yet.

Activists are reported to have completed the full Winners’ Booklet.

The armored vehicles are being transported to the center of Minsk ahead of the anti-government rally

Belarusian security forces are stepping up security measures in central Minsk, where the opposition is planning a massive anti-government protest on Sunday, and armored vehicles are being brought into the city, witnesses said.

According to the correspondent for the Interfax news agency, the Plaza Independencia, where the activists intend to gather, has been surrounded by militiamen since the early hours of the morning. The square is also surrounded by metal barriers, next to which the officers’ guards are on duty. The underground passages in the square are closed.

In the run-up to the planned protest in Minsk, the security forces are showing strength

In the run-up to the planned protest in Minsk, the security forces are showing strength

Security forces also guard the entrances to the surrounding courtyards. Special transport stops in the adjacent streets.

At the time, October Square was surrounded by a cordon of armed soldiers wearing bulletproof vests. Around the plaza, people in camouflage uniforms hung barbed wire.

Dozens of buses with OMON officers are parked on the streets near the squares, where more law enforcement officers are being removed.

In the run-up to the planned protest in Minsk, the security forces are showing strength

In the run-up to the planned protest in Minsk, the security forces are showing strength

Several metro stations in the city center have been closed and the trains do not stop there.

There are about 10 security forces vehicles in the area of ​​the Presidential Administration building. Five law enforcement buses are parked near the Officers’ House. Special vehicles, including water cannons, are also parked on Lenin Street.

In addition, the army surrounds the post “Minsk – the hero of the city” and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War.

According to witnesses, armored vehicles are being brought to Minsk.

Armored personnel carriers accompanied by columns of military trucks were sighted on the outskirts of the city. They moved towards the center of the city.

There was mobile internet disruption in Minsk

Customers of Belarusian mobile operators report that there are obstacles when trying to connect to the mobile Internet in the country’s capital. This is announced by the news portal Tut.by.

Consumers noted that the interference in various parts of Minsk occurred around 2.30pm local time, that is, as soon as Sunday’s protest started. Some of the population reports that they encountered mobile internet interference a little later, at approximately 2:45 p.m. The Tut.by editorial board was convinced that in the city center, along the circus building and Gorky Park, the mobile Internet really does not work without interruptions.

Subscribers complain that websites do not open at all or that they take a few minutes, much longer than usual. Similar interference occurs with the use of chat gadgets: not everyone can resume conversations or, for example, view attachments.

In a comment sent to journalists, the Belarusian telecommunications company A1 states that “according to an order of the state authorities, on September 6, the mobile data bandwidth has been significantly reduced in the Minsk region”.

Earlier, during protests in Minsk, OMON officials detained journalists who tried to cover the situation. Also, Sunday was not skipped.

It is not allowed to publish, quote or reproduce the information of the BNS news agency in the media and on the Internet without the written consent of the UAB “BNS”.



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