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An injured protester receives help from medical personnel during Sunday’s demonstration in Minsk. Photo: AP / NTB
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, taking hundreds of protesters away by truck.
The day before Sunday’s mass protests saw some hope for change when Alexander Lukashenko visited with opposition figures in prison.
But when opposition supporters gathered once again in Minsk to demand Lukashenko’s resignation, they were met with water cannons and stun grenades.
Large numbers of black-clad riot police, Interior Ministry soldiers and men in plain clothes fled unmarked minibuses and ran towards the protesters.
Some were buried, displaying photos of witnesses posted on independent websites. The photos also show wounded people with bandaged heads sitting on the ground.
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Arrested journalists
Almost 250 people were arrested that afternoon in Minsk and 30 other cities, including 20 journalists, according to the human rights organization Viasna. The journalists from the Russian state news agency Tass were released shortly after.
A water cannon and stun grenades were used, at least in Minsk, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry told AFP.
Observers report that the mobile network was disrupted several times and that several metro stations were also closed. Authorities have also previously used the mobile network and public transport to prevent people from reaching the city center or agreeing to alternative routes through social media.
Opposition opponents have demonstrated every weekend since Alexander Lukashenko declared victory in the presidential elections on August 9, here in Minsk on Sunday. Photo: AP / NTB
Thousands arrested
Tens of thousands took part in the scattered protests on Sunday, according to independent media estimates. Mass demonstrations erupted when the president declared that he had won the August 9 elections with 80 percent of the vote.
It is estimated that a total of about 10,000 people have been arrested so far in connection with the demonstrations in the country.
Lukashenko, 66, has ruled with an iron fist since 1994, and the opposition believes the real winner is Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. She is exiled in Lithuania. Norway and the EU believe that the elections were neither free nor fair.
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On Saturday, Lukashenko took the unusual step of visiting a group of opposition politicians who had recently been jailed.
Officially, the meetings were about the president’s constitutional reform plans, which he has presented in response to the people’s demands for change.
The opposition hailed the visit as a sign that Lukashenko admits he is weakened and seeks a commitment to the protest movement.
More than 100 people were arrested on Sunday afternoon in connection with the demonstration in Minsk, according to the Viasna organization. Among them were journalists from the Russian state media, but they were later released. Photo: AP / NTB
Unable to dialogue
Since his exile, Tikhanovskaya has met with various European heads of government, most recently with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel.
The first foreign head of government he met was Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
“He has recognized the existence of political prisoners whom he used to call criminals,” Tikhanovskaya said on social media about Lukashenko.
He added that “you cannot talk in a prison cell.”
The day after Lukashenko’s meeting, protesters were subjected to the most violent treatment in a long time, according to observers.
– This emphasizes once again that the regime is not capable of leading an honest and open dialogue with society, says opposition politician Pavel Latushko.
