A Week After Election, Belarus Sees Giant Protests Against Lukashenko
4 years, 4 months ago

A Week After Election, Belarus Sees Giant Protests Against Lukashenko

NPR  

A Week After Election, Belarus Sees Giant Protests Against Lukashenko NPR's Noel King talks to activist Hanna Yahorava about Sunday's protests — in what appeared to be the largest demonstration yet against President Lukashenko's widely disputed reelection. So you couldn't find out who's those people who detained activists on the streets after the end of the protest. I have a few friends - they're close friends - detained and beaten by police during the demonstrations, especially in the first days of protests - it were just right and after the end of the electoral day, last Sunday. After 26 years of Lukashenko in power, why 200,000 people in the streets in Minsk alone at this point?

Russia Protests President Lukashenko Npr Hanna Streets Security Forces 26 Years Detained Minsk Hanna Yahorava Election Belarus Yahorava  election  belarus  protests  detained  streets  giant  theyre  security  say  sees  week  yahorava  lukashenko  minsk  president

History of this topic

Teachers in Belarus being targeted for links with 'extremist' group, says human rights body
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Teachers in Belarus being targeted for links with 'extremist' group, says human rights body

Hindustan Times  

Dozens of teachers in Belarus have been detained or interrogated by authorities as part of the country's wide-ranging crackdown on dissent, a respected local human rights organization said Wednesday. Belarus suppressed opposition and independent media for three decades under President Alexander Lukashenko, but the efforts to crush dissent intensified sharply in 2020 when nationwide protests arose after a presidential election …

Event management firms are the latest target in Belarus crackdown on dissent
7 months ago

Event management firms are the latest target in Belarus crackdown on dissent

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — Police in Belarus have raided dozens of event management companies suspected of opposition ties as part of on ongoing crackdown against dissent, a human rights center says. Belarusian human rights center Viasna said at least four people were detained in the latest raids, which took place in the Belarusan capital of Minsk and across the country. Among …

Belarus targets opposition activists with raids and property seizures
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Belarus targets opposition activists with raids and property seizures

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — Authorities in Belarus on Thursday announced raids and the seizure of property belonging to 104 opposition activists who have fled the country, the latest step in a crackdown on dissent that has continued unabated for nearly four years. Belarus’ Investigative Committee said Thursday the latest raids and seizures targeted activists who criticized Belarusian authorities abroad and rallied …

Rights group says security services in Belarus raid apartments and detain election observers
1 year ago

Rights group says security services in Belarus raid apartments and detain election observers

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — Security services in Belarus are breaking into apartments and detaining people in their workplaces across the country as they carry out hundreds of searches among election observers ahead of next year’s vote, the Belarusian human rights center Viasna said Tuesday. Representatives from the main intelligence service, the KGB, which has retained its Soviet name, are forcing activists …

Belarus hands lengthy prison terms to 18 participants of 2020 protests
1 year, 6 months ago

Belarus hands lengthy prison terms to 18 participants of 2020 protests

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — A court in Belarus on Wednesday handed lengthy prison terms to 18 participants of mass anti-government protests that shook the country in 2020, the latest step in a brutal years-long effort to stifle all and any dissent. According to the authorities, the protesters formed a resistance movement, attacked law enforcement officers, carried out acts of sabotage and …

Belarusians abroad protest repression in homeland
3 years, 7 months ago

Belarusians abroad protest repression in homeland

Associated Press  

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Belarus’s exiled opposition leader vowed Saturday to persist fighting the country’s authoritarian regime despite intensifying repression that was thrown into high relief a week ago by the diversion of a commercial airliner and the arrest of a dissident journalist who was aboard. About 100 of them rallied in Kyiv to denounce President Alexander Lukashenko, whose repression of …

Belarus police arrest more than 100, prevent opposition rally
3 years, 9 months ago

Belarus police arrest more than 100, prevent opposition rally

Al Jazeera  

Police arrest more than 100 people as they gathered for fresh protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. Police in Belarus have detained more than 100 people, including five journalists, local media and a rights group have said, as they gathered for fresh rallies against President Alexander Lukashenko Protests erupted in the former Soviet country last August after Lukashenko claimed a sixth …

Belarus authorities arrest dozens ahead of planned protests
3 years, 9 months ago

Belarus authorities arrest dozens ahead of planned protests

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Authorities intensified their crackdown on dissent in Belarus ahead of planned protests against the nation’s authoritarian president and detained dozens of people Wednesday, according to human rights activists. The chief of Belarus’ security agency, which still goes by the Soviet-era name KGB, warned against “attempts to destabilize the situation in the country.” Police detained at least 42 …

From Exile, Tikhanovskaya Calls For '2nd Wave Of Protests' Against Belarus Regime
3 years, 9 months ago

From Exile, Tikhanovskaya Calls For '2nd Wave Of Protests' Against Belarus Regime

NPR  

From Exile, Tikhanovskaya Calls For '2nd Wave Of Protests' Against Belarus Regime Enlarge this image toggle caption Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images MOSCOW — Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled leader of Belarus' pro-democracy movement, is calling on Belarusians to take to the streets this week and revive the mass protests that swept the Eastern European country …

Rights group: Scores detained at retirees’ rally in Belarus
4 years ago

Rights group: Scores detained at retirees’ rally in Belarus

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — A human rights group said that dozens of people were detained in the Belarusian capital on Monday during the traditional weekly rally of retirees against President Alexander Lukashenko, who won his sixth term in office in a disputed election. “Elderly people are being held in unsanitary conditions, large groups of them are being kept in cells and …

Thousands of protesters march in Belarus, dozens detained
4 years, 1 month ago

Thousands of protesters march in Belarus, dozens detained

Al Jazeera  

Human rights group Viasna-96 says at least 106 people taken into police custody mainly in Minsk. Thousands of demonstrators marched in the Belarusian capital Minsk and elsewhere on Sunday as weekly protests demanding the resignation of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko continued, prompting police to arrest more than 100 people. Belarus, a country of 9.5 million that Russia sees as a …

Retirees protest Belarus leader amid crackdown on protests
4 years, 1 month ago

Retirees protest Belarus leader amid crackdown on protests

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Hundreds of retirees rallied in the Belarusian capital on Monday against the country’s authoritarian leader, as security forces moved in to break up the traditional weekly march. Mass protests have gripped Belarus, a former Soviet republic in eastern Europe, since official results from the Aug. 9 presidential election gave Lukashenko a landslide victory over his widely popular …

Belarus police detain hundreds at ‘march of neighbours’ protests
4 years, 1 month ago

Belarus police detain hundreds at ‘march of neighbours’ protests

Al Jazeera  

Belarusian security forces detained hundreds of protesters at rallies in Minsk the opposition had billed as “the march of neighbours”, local police and a rights group reported. Mass protests have gripped Belarus, a former Soviet republic in Eastern Europe, since official results from the August 9 presidential election gave Lukashenko a landslide victory over his widely popular opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. …

More than 300 detained by police in Belarus protests
4 years, 1 month ago

More than 300 detained by police in Belarus protests

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — The Belarusian human rights group Viasna says that more than 300 people were arrested and many of them beaten by police during protests calling for the country’s authoritarian president to resign. Protests have gripped Belarus since the Aug. 9 presidential election that official results say gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office, but that the opposition and …

More than 900 people reported arrested in Belarus protests
4 years, 1 month ago

More than 900 people reported arrested in Belarus protests

LA Times  

A human rights group in Belarus said more than 900 people were arrested Sunday in protests around the country calling for authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. The demonstrations continued the wave of near-daily protests that have gripped Belarus since early August. Many of the demonstrators carried placards in commemoration of Raman Bandarenka, an opposition supporter who died Thursday …

Hundreds arrested as Belarus protesters face violent crackdown
4 years, 1 month ago

Hundreds arrested as Belarus protesters face violent crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Police use rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse crowds as months of protests against President Lukashenko continue. Masked security forces arrested hundreds of people in another day of mass demonstrations against the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. Security forces in riot gear and shields on Sunday flooded the square where Bondarenko was arrested, pulling down opposition flags, kicking over …

Club-wielding police in Belarus arrest over 500 protesters
4 years, 2 months ago

Club-wielding police in Belarus arrest over 500 protesters

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Club-swinging police went after demonstrators in Belarus’ capital who were demanding the resignation of the country’s authoritarian president on Sunday, the 90th consecutive day of protests. The human rights organization Viasna said 548 people were arrested in all, including well-known model Olga Khizhinkova, a former Miss Belarus. The wave of protests, unprecedented in their size and duration, …

Dozens arrested at latest Belarus election, police protests
4 years, 2 months ago

Dozens arrested at latest Belarus election, police protests

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Police in the capital of Belarus detained dozens of demonstrators Saturday as medical workers and women held separate marches to denounce violence against anti-government protesters and to call on the country’s authoritarian president to step down.. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reiterated that he would not give in to the three-month-long wave of daily protests spurred by his …

Tens of thousands protest in Belarus, defying warning shots
4 years, 2 months ago

Tens of thousands protest in Belarus, defying warning shots

Al Jazeera  

Huge demonstrations have flooded the capital, Minsk, for 12 straight weeks since a disputed election. Riot police fired warning shots into the air, used stun grenades and made arrests to deter tens of thousands of Belarusians who marched through Minsk to demand veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko leave power. Despite Lukashenko’s most recent threat to “take no prisoners”, protesters began marching …

Nearly 3 months after vote, Belarus protests still go strong
4 years, 2 months ago

Nearly 3 months after vote, Belarus protests still go strong

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Nearly three months after Belarus’ authoritarian president’s re-election to a sixth term in a vote widely seen as rigged, demonstrators keep swarming the streets of Belarusian cities to demand his resignation in the most massive and sustained wave of protests the ex-Soviet nation has ever seen. “The opposition only has managed to create some hotbeds of strikes …

Strikers in Belarus press for authoritarian leader’s ouster
4 years, 2 months ago

Strikers in Belarus press for authoritarian leader’s ouster

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Factory workers, students and business owners in Belarus on Monday began a strike to demand that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko resign after more than two months of continuing mass protests following a disputed election. Near-daily protests were unleashed in the former Soviet country of 9.5 million after officials said the Aug. 9 election gave Lukashenko a landslide …

Over 50,000 march in Belarus against authoritarian leader
4 years, 2 months ago

Over 50,000 march in Belarus against authoritarian leader

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Belarus’ capital on Sunday, demanding the ouster of the country’s authoritarian leader who won his sixth term in office in an election widely seen as rigged. On Monday, the country’s Interior Ministry threatened to use firearms against the protesters “if need be,” saying that the rallies “have …

Belarus opposition leader threatens nationwide strike
4 years, 2 months ago

Belarus opposition leader threatens nationwide strike

Associated Press  

VILNIUS, Lithuania — The top opposition challenger in the Belarusian presidential election threatened Tuesday to call a nationwide strike unless the country’s authoritarian president announces his resignation, releases political prisoners and stops his government’s violent crackdown on protesters. “If our demands aren’t fulfilled by Oct. 25, the entire country will peacefully take to the streets,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a …

Footage shows Belarus security forces breaking up protests with water cannons and batons
4 years, 2 months ago

Footage shows Belarus security forces breaking up protests with water cannons and batons

ABC  

Security forces have used water cannons and batons to break up continuing protests demanding a new election in Belarus amid signs that President Alexander Lukashenko may be willing to compromise. Key points: Protesters have been taking to the streets in Belarus since the presidential elections on August 9 The election has widely been condemned as rigged Mr Lukashenko on Saturday …

Over 360 more detained in Belarus in protests against leader
4 years, 3 months ago

Over 360 more detained in Belarus in protests against leader

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Over 360 more people have been detained in Belarus during protests against the country’s authoritarian president, who was unexpectedly sworn in to his sixth term in office after an election the opposition says was rigged. Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets of the capital of Minsk and other cities on Wednesday evening to protest President Alexander …

Rights group: Dozens in Belarus investigated amid protests
4 years, 3 months ago

Rights group: Dozens in Belarus investigated amid protests

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Authorities in Belarus, that’s seen six weeks of protests against the country’s authoritarian president after a disputed election, have opened more than 250 criminal cases that target political opponents, activists and protesters, a Belarusian human rights group said Tuesday. Belarus has been engulfed in daily protests since Aug. 9, when President Alexander Lukashenko won his sixth term …

March of 100,000 marks week 7 of Belarus protests
4 years, 3 months ago

March of 100,000 marks week 7 of Belarus protests

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Tens of thousands of Belarusians calling for the authoritarian president to resign marched through the capital Sunday as the country’s wave of protests entered its seventh week. Protests began Aug. 9 after an election that official results say gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office; opponents and some poll workers say the results were manipulated. …

March of 100,000 marks week 7 of Belarus protests
4 years, 3 months ago

March of 100,000 marks week 7 of Belarus protests

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Protests began Aug. 9 after an election that official …

AP PHOTOS: Elderly protesters defy Belarus’ strongman
4 years, 3 months ago

AP PHOTOS: Elderly protesters defy Belarus’ strongman

Associated Press  

MINSK, Belarus — Thousands of protesters who have flooded Belarusian cities for six weeks of demonstrations to demand an end to the 26-year rule of the country’s authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko include people of all ages, professions and social groups. When police told her that she was violating a ban on unauthorized demonstrations, she responded by saying “I’m taking a …

Minsk Police Detains 200 Women Demanding Resignation of 'Authoritarian' Belarus President
4 years, 3 months ago

Minsk Police Detains 200 Women Demanding Resignation of 'Authoritarian' Belarus President

News 18  

Police in the capital of Belarus cracked down sharply Saturday on a women’s protest march demanding the authoritarian president’s resignation, arresting more than 200 including an elderly woman who has become a symbol of the six weeks of protest that have roiled the country. The human rights group Viasna said more than 200 people were arrested in Saturday’s march. Sviatlana …

Belarus protests enter 6th week, still demand leader resign
4 years, 3 months ago

Belarus protests enter 6th week, still demand leader resign

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — More than 100,000 demonstrators calling for the authoritarian president of Belarus to resign marched through the capital of Minsk on Sunday as the daily protests that have gripped the nation entered their sixth week. Many in the crowd, which the human rights group Viasna estimated as numbering more than 150,000, carried placards critical of Russia, reflecting concerns …

At least 100,000 Belarus protesters flood streets to demand end of Lukashenko
4 years, 3 months ago

At least 100,000 Belarus protesters flood streets to demand end of Lukashenko

Live Mint  

At least 100,000 Belarusian protesters took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday in one of the biggest demonstrations yet against President Alexander Lukashenko after he claimed a landslide victory in an election his opponents say was rigged. As public anger continued to build against Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet nation for 26 years, Moscow offered him support …

Massive Protests Continue In Belarus As Demonstrators Demand Lukashenko Resign
4 years, 3 months ago

Massive Protests Continue In Belarus As Demonstrators Demand Lukashenko Resign

NPR  

Massive Protests Continue In Belarus As Demonstrators Demand Lukashenko Resign Enlarge this image toggle caption TUT.BY/AFP via Getty Images TUT.BY/AFP via Getty Images More than 100,000 protesters flooded the streets of the capital Minsk on Sunday in ongoing protests calling for Belarus' authoritarian president to resign. Sunday's protests come on the eve of President Alexander Lukashenko's planned meeting on Monday …

Belarus: The West can gnash its teeth. But there’s little it can do to change things
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus: The West can gnash its teeth. But there’s little it can do to change things

CNN  

CNN — One by one, the leaders of the protest movement in Belarus are being taken out of circulation. Exactly a month after a hotly disputed election, Belarus’ long-time leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, is trying to “disrupt the opposition’s ability to sustain large-scale protests by arresting or expelling all organizers,” according to the Institute for the Study of War in …

Belarus protests against President Alexander Lukashenko enter second month
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus protests against President Alexander Lukashenko enter second month

ABC  

Authorities were filmed beating a man and about 100 people were arrested in the Belarus capital of Minsk as protests against President Alexander Lukashenko enter a second month. Key points: Protesters waved red and white opposition flags Several were injured during a protest at a state-run tractor factory The country has experienced unrest since the August 9 election, which many …

Hundreds detained as security forces crack down on mass protest in Belarus
4 years, 4 months ago

Hundreds detained as security forces crack down on mass protest in Belarus

Hindustan Times  

Security forces in Belarus detained scores of protesters and were filmed beating a man as he lay on the street, as the authorities launched a crackdown on mass demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko. Belarusian opposition supporters try to speak to riot policemen as they gather in front of a police line toward the Independence Palace, residence of the President Alexander …

100,000 march in Minsk to demand Belarus leader resigns
4 years, 4 months ago

100,000 march in Minsk to demand Belarus leader resigns

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched Sunday to the outskirts of the presidential residence in the capital of Belarus, calling for the country’s authoritarian leader to resign as protests against President Alexander Lukashenko entered their fifth week. Protests also took place in major cities throughout Belarus, said Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova. Police and army troops blocked …

Thousands of women in Belarus continue protest pressure against President Alexander Lukashenko
4 years, 4 months ago

Thousands of women in Belarus continue protest pressure against President Alexander Lukashenko

ABC  

Thousands of women have marched through the capital of Belarus calling for the resignation of the authoritarian president, and university students have demonstrated against the detention of classmates. Key points: Police followed the marching women but no arrests have been reported People also protested against the detention of 20 students of the State Linguistics University A leading protest organiser has …

Belarus protesters continue pressure on Lukashenko with new march
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus protesters continue pressure on Lukashenko with new march

Al Jazeera  

Protests against strongman Lukashenko intensify as 100,000 take to the streets of Minsk following disputed re-election. Video footage shown by local media outlet TUT.BY showed women shouting “shame” at masked members of the security forces who dragged people away into detention. No matter how many riot police he’s deployed to the streets, it just hasn’t stopped people from continuing to …

Students detained in Belarus after thousands protest against government
4 years, 4 months ago

Students detained in Belarus after thousands protest against government

CNN  

Minsk, Belarus CNN — Authorities in Belarus have instigated a harsh crackdown on student protesters after thousands demonstrated against the government Tuesday, according to a local human rights group. The detentions followed major protests by the young in the Belarusian capital, with around 3,000 to 5,000 students marching to the city’s Independence Square on Tuesday, according to Human Rights watchdog …

Belarusian police disperse Minsk protesters, detain dozens
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarusian police disperse Minsk protesters, detain dozens

Associated Press  

MINSK, Belarus — Police in Belarus dispersed protesters who gathered on the capital’s central square Wednesday, detaining dozens in an effort to end weeks of demonstrations challenging the re-election of the country’s authoritarian ruler. Shortly after several hundred protesters gathered on the Independence Square for an evening protest that has become a daily occurrence, waving their red-and-white flags and chanting …

In a shift, Belarus leader seeks to stem protests gradually
4 years, 4 months ago

In a shift, Belarus leader seeks to stem protests gradually

Associated Press  

MINSK, Belarus — When Belarusians filled the streets to protest what they called a fraudulent election that kept authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in power, the blunt repressions came first. “The KGB agents have flooded the factory, and they have managed to intimidate many,” said 43-year-old Vladimir Ogarevich, who works at the Minsk Tow Truck Plant, whose workers heckled Lukashenko when …

Belarus’s problems won’t vanish when Lukashenko goes – victory for democracy also comes at a price
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus’s problems won’t vanish when Lukashenko goes – victory for democracy also comes at a price

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Although one …

Belarus protesters flood into Minsk, briefly approach Lukashenko residence
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus protesters flood into Minsk, briefly approach Lukashenko residence

The Hindu  

Tens of thousands of protesters demanding President Alexander Lukashenko step down flooded into Minsk on Sunday, at one point staging a brief demonstration near his residence, as the Belarus army warned the crowd it would respond to any unrest. The crowd marched towards Mr. Lukashenko’s residence at the Independence Palace, on the northern edge of the capital, the majority gathering …

Video shows armed Belarus president as protests roil capital
4 years, 4 months ago

Video shows armed Belarus president as protests roil capital

Associated Press  

MINSK, Belarus — The authoritarian president of Belarus made a dramatic show of defiance Sunday against the massive protests demanding his resignation, toting a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest as he strode off a helicopter that landed at his residence while demonstrators massed nearby. In the 15th day of the largest and most determined protests ever in independent Belarus, …

Belarus blocks over 50 news websites amid large protests against President Alexander Lukashenko
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus blocks over 50 news websites amid large protests against President Alexander Lukashenko

ABC  

Belarus authorities have blocked more than 50 news media websites reporting on how the country has been shaken by two weeks of protests demanding authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko resign after 26 years in power. Key points: Mr Lukashenko's main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is hoping large protests continue Public shows of support for Mr Lukashenko have been significantly smaller than demonstrations …

Armed Belarus president seen on video as protests roil capital
4 years, 4 months ago

Armed Belarus president seen on video as protests roil capital

LA Times  

Demonstrators fill the streets of Minsk, Belarus, on Sunday. Demonstrators are in the streets of the Belarusian capital and other cities, keeping up their push for the resignation of the nation’s authoritarian leader, President Alexander Lukashenko. In the 15th day of the largest and most determined protests in independent Belarus, a crowd of about 200,000 rallied against President Alexander Lukashenko …

Belarus blocks over 50 news websites but protests continue
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus blocks over 50 news websites but protests continue

Associated Press  

MINSK, Belarus — Authorities in Belarus blocked more than 50 news media websites that were covering weeks of protests demanding that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko resign but protesters still turned out again Saturday, some forming a chain of solidarity in the capital. Protests unprecedented in Belarus for their size and duration broke out after the Aug. 9 presidential election, in …

PHOTOS: Belarus' Massive And Unprecedented Protests
4 years, 4 months ago

PHOTOS: Belarus' Massive And Unprecedented Protests

NPR  

PHOTOS: Belarus' Massive And Unprecedented Protests Enlarge this image toggle caption Getty Images; Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images; Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Getty Images; Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images; Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Nearly two weeks after an Aug. 9 election kept Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in power amid accusations of vote-rigging, massive protests against Lukashenko continue and neither side is backing down. …

Belarus leader warns of tough new steps against protesters
4 years, 4 months ago

Belarus leader warns of tough new steps against protesters

Associated Press  

MINSK, Belarus — Belarus’ authoritarian leader threatened Wednesday to bring criminal charges against opposition leaders and called on his security services to get tougher on demonstrators — a possible harbinger of a renewed crackdown on the peaceful protests challenging the extension of his 26-year rule. “People are on strike demanding Lukashenko’s resignation, and authorities respond with batons and riot police,” …

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