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At the same time that President Lukashenko is negotiating with Vladimir Putin in Sochi, his regime continues to suppress the uprising at home in Belarus.
The methods are proven. Arbitrary arrests of protesters, journalists and striking workers, and equally arbitrary violence against anyone who dares to protest in the streets.
Since protests began following the controversial elections on August 9, Belarus police and security services have arrested up to 10,000. Several have also been killed and many have testified about torture and rape in prisons.
Photo: Valery Sharifulin / TASS
Photo: TUT.BY/AFP
Photo: Natalia Fedosenko / TASS
Photo: TUT.by/AP
In the Sunday Large demonstration in the capital Minsk, another 400 were arrested, many were beaten and the security forces used rubber bullets to try to divide the peaceful march. The military were also present and on at least one occasion threatened to fire at the protesters.
Despite the risk of injury or arrest, more than 100,000 again participated in the protest in Minsk. At the same time, small protests were held in other Belarusian cities.
On Monday, the regime’s efforts against the uprising continued.
Three strike leaders at the large state mining company Belaruskali he was sentenced to prison in court. And in Minsk, the State Linguistic University, considered a protest center, was placed under strict police surveillance.
Violence has become commonplace during the protests and hardly anyone is surprised by information about the actions of the security forces.
However, a single incident, which was captured on film on Sunday, has received a lot of attention in Belarus.
Video, broadcast online and in independent media shows a young woman filming some police officers during a demonstration in the small town of Zhodino, a few miles northeast of Minsk.
Suddenly, the police turn around and hit the woman directly in the face with their fists. She falls helplessly to the ground.
https://twitter.com/superpiston1/status/1305441908857155585
So it’s not about about the gravest violence, but the incident obviously hits many Belarusians to the heart. It becomes a symbol of the regime’s violence: a large and strong police force beats a thin woman who is filming with his mobile phone.
The woman, named Nailja, was interviewed Monday by an independent Belarusian site. She feels good under the circumstances, but is in both physical and mental pain from the incident.
The interview also shows that she herself will be questioned, suspected of participating in an illegal demonstration. The police commander who beat her has been identified and reported, but for his part there will probably be no sanctions.
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