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Tens of thousands of people marched through the Belarusian capital Minsk on Sunday, calling for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko on the sixth consecutive weekend of protests.
It comes as hackers leaked the personal data of more than 2,000 high-level police officers in two batches, vowing that “no one will remain anonymous, not even under a ski mask,” amid reports of violent crackdowns on police officers. protesters.
At least 10 people were arrested on Sunday, according to the Russian news agency TASS, which cited a police spokesman. Human rights group Spring-96 said at least 196 people were detained across the county.
Local media outlets shared videos showing security forces in helmets and balaclavas pulling protesters off the streets.
On Saturday, more than 390 women demonstrating in Minsk were arrested, including an elderly woman who has become a symbol of the protests.
The unrest began after the August 9 presidential elections that many Belarusians believe Mr. Lukashenko, a former manager of a Soviet collective farm, won fraudulently.
Lukashenko has been President of Belarus for 26 years, during which time he has consistently suppressed political opposition.
He has resisted calls to resign, appearing at times with an automatic rifle and encouraged by the support of the Russian president. Vladimir Putin.
Weeks ago, the European Union promised to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged electoral fraud and human rights abuses, but is now expected to miss Monday’s deadline for action.
Police arrested at least 10 people on Sunday, according to reports.
Thousands of people have been detained during the protests, many of whom have reported being beaten and tortured while in detention, although the government denies these claims.
“As the arrests continue, we will continue to release large-scale data,” the hackers told the opposition news channel Nexta.
A poster shows the Belarusian president as Kim Jong Un, who says ‘washed’
The details include the names of senior officers, as well as their surnames, patrons, common in Russian-speaking countries, as well as their dates of birth, parental units, ranks and positions.
A second batch of more than 1,000 names was unveiled on Sunday night, this time naming officers in the western Belarusian city of Brest, where leakers claimed the policeman was particularly tough.
The government said it would find and punish whoever was responsible for leaking the police officers’ data, which was distributed via the popular Telegram chat app on Saturday.
“The forces, the means and the technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the vast majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet,” said Olga Chemodanova, spokeswoman for the Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs. .
Security forces have detained people in the capital Minsk
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya praised the women’s march in a video statement from Lithuania, where she fled after being held inside a government election office after the elections.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Tikhanovskaya said she was I’m not ready to talk about what happened yet to her during the time she was in custody.
She is believed to have been threatened with being separated from her two young children, whom she had already moved to Lithuania.
“They have scared and pressured women for the second month, but despite this, Belarusians continue their peaceful protest and show their incredible strength,” Ms Tikhanovskaya said of Saturday’s march.
The Belarusian government reacted angrily to reports that Ms Tikhanovskaya may soon meet with the EU foreign ministers.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the EU, accusing Brussels of trying to “rock the boat” in Belarus, seen by Moscow as a strategic buffer against the EU and NATO.
Russia has accused the United States of fomenting revolution in Minsk and agreed to provide a loan of $ 1.5bn (£ 1.16bn) to prop up the Lukashenko government following a meeting with Putin.
Belarus will spend $ 330 million (255 million pounds) of the money it has received to cover its outstanding debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom, according to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
