March held in Belarus to demand the resignation of Lukashenko despite arrests

As arrests of dissidents in Belarus intensified, large demonstrations were held today demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko step down.

The protesters, who were not allowed to gather in the Independence Square in front of the government building in the capital Minsk, marched in front of Stella Square towards the Presidential Palace.

The arrests took place in the demonstrations held today.

In a statement made by the Belarusian Interior Ministry, it was stated that the situation was under control and that there was no extraordinary situation in the demonstrations. In the statement, which recorded that some people were detained in unauthorized protests, no information was given on the number of arrests.

Security forces detained dozens of people, mostly students, in the capital Minsk on Saturday.

In a separate march, thousands of women demonstrated in which they shouted the slogan “Take your hands off our children.”

Meanwhile, a prominent opposition activist announced that he had sought refuge in Poland after being threatened by the security forces.

Activists say it was rigged in the August 9 presidential election.

Activists, human rights defenders and observers accuse the police of using excessive force against peaceful protesters.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, says Western countries have intervened.

BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher in Minsk said today’s action could be one of the biggest in four weeks.

Before the demonstrations, masked security forces packed students into police vans on the streets of Minsk, dozens of people were arrested.

Last month, EU leaders agreed to impose embargoes, such as freezing the assets of some Belarusian officials involved in allegations of election fraud.

UN Special Rapporteur Anais Marin said Lukashenko’s re-election was “completely rigged” and that “the votes of the people were stolen.”

Marin also accused the Belarusian police of torture, citing a 16-year-old boy who was beaten and fell into a coma.

Lukashenko accuses some EU countries, notably neighboring Lithuania and Poland, of trying to change regimes by force.