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 by saying it would send paratroopers to Belarus for "Slavic Brotherhood" joint drills. A vast column protesters marched through the capital Minsk towards a government district on Sunday, chanting "long live Belarus" and "you're a rat," a taunt that has frequently been used against Lukashenko during demonstrations. On Sunday, Russia's defence ministry said it would send paratroopers from its elite Pskov division to Belarus for the joint drills starting on Monday and running till Sept. 25, the TASS state news agency reported.

Russia Belarus Russian Lukashenko Belarusian Minsk  belarus  used  lukashenko  demand  minsk  streets  election  flood  100000  belarusian  support  tsikhanouskaya  protesters  end

History of this topic

Belarus's Lukashenko pardons 31 people convicted over 'extremism'
2 months ago

Belarus's Lukashenko pardons 31 people convicted over 'extremism'

Firstpost  

“Two women and 29 men have been pardoned,” the Belarusian presidency said in a statement, adding that 17 of them had “chronic illnesses” and seven were parents of small children Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned 31 political prisoners, the latest such move that comes two months before an election in which he is set to extend his 30-year rule. …

Belarusian authorities launch a new wave of repression ahead of presidential vote
2 months ago

Belarusian authorities launch a new wave of repression ahead of presidential vote

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarusian authorities have launched a new wave of arrests, seeking to uproot any sign of dissent ahead of January’s election in which authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a seventh term, rights campaigners said. “The new massive wave of arrests and searches is a planned action of intimidation ahead of the election,” said Viasna’s representative Pavel Sapelka. …

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 raids apartments of opposition activists as part of sweeping probe called latest crackdown
1 year, 1 month ago

Belarus raids apartments of opposition activists as part of sweeping probe called latest crackdown

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ criminal investigation agency said Tuesday that it has conducted raids as part of a sweeping probe into an alleged attempt by the opposition to seize power three years ago. “This is the authorities’ revenge against those who have demanded criminal prosecution of Lukashenko and his entourage over the crimes they have committed.” Belarus’ Investigative Committee said …

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 …

Belarus opposition leader seeks new US, European sanctions
3 years, 5 months ago

Belarus opposition leader seeks new US, European sanctions

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The leader of Belarus’ embattled opposition hopes the United States and Europe will impose new sanctions on money-making government enterprises that will lead to the collapse of President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and a peaceful transition that pro-democracy supporters are preparing for because “it can happen very fast.” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger to Lukashenko in last …

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 …

At 26, Belarus journalist has spent a decade in opposition
3 years, 7 months ago

At 26, Belarus journalist has spent a decade in opposition

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Raman Pratasevich has been part of the Belarus political opposition for over a decade and has long feared the authorities would try to abduct him, even though he was living abroad. Lukashenko and other Belarusian officials alleged Pratasevich fought as a “mercenary” in eastern Ukraine, but Andriy Biletskiy, who led the Azov volunteer battalion in the region, …

Only 26, Belarus dissident arrested after plane diversion has spent a decade fighting oppression
3 years, 7 months ago

Only 26, Belarus dissident arrested after plane diversion has spent a decade fighting oppression

LA Times  

Only 26, Roman Protasevich has been part of the Belarusian political opposition for over a decade and long feared the authorities would try to abduct him, even though he was living abroad. Lukashenko and other Belarusian officials alleged that Protasevich fought as a “mercenary” in eastern Ukraine, but Andriy Biletsky, who led the Azov volunteer battalion in the region, insisted …

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 …

They wanted democracy for Belarus. Instead they say they were beaten and raped by police
3 years, 9 months ago

They wanted democracy for Belarus. Instead they say they were beaten and raped by police

CNN  

Kiev, Ukraine – Sergei stood on a small sheet of ice in the Dnieper River and breathed in the icy air hard. “The feeling is indescribable, and I am all alone here.” Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians attended mass protests across the country last year following Lukashenko’s declaration of victory in the August vote. After being presented with a summary …

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 …

Outrage in Belarus, EU after opposition supporter death
4 years, 1 month ago

Outrage in Belarus, EU after opposition supporter death

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Thousands of people rallied in Belarus on Friday following the death of a 31-year-old opposition supporter who reportedly was beaten by security forces, and the European Union condemned the violent crackdown that Belarusian authorities have continued to enforce against peaceful protesters. Belarus’ Investigative Committee said Bandarenka also displayed signs of “alcohol intoxication.” An inquiry has been launched. …

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 …

EU sanctions Lukashenko for crackdown on Belarus protests
4 years, 2 months ago

EU sanctions Lukashenko for crackdown on Belarus protests

Al Jazeera  

Belarus president, son and 13 officials will be banned from entering EU territory and will have their assets frozen. The European Union has slapped sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and 14 other officials for repression of the pro-democracy movement following August’s contested election. The asset freezes and travel bans were implemented on Friday following an EU ambassadors’ agreement earlier …

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 …

UN investigator says Belarus must stop repressing its people
4 years, 2 months ago

UN investigator says Belarus must stop repressing its people

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. human rights investigator for Belarus demanded Monday that the government “stop repressing its own people,” saying at least 20,000 were detained in August and September and hundreds reported beaten, intimidated, tortured or ill-treated in custody. Marin urged Belarus’ authorities to release all those still detained “for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and expression, and …

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 …

Long-time Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko 'must go', says French president Emmanuel Macron
4 years, 3 months ago

Long-time Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko 'must go', says French president Emmanuel Macron

Firstpost  

Thousands of Belarusians have taken part in huge rallies since the 9 August presidential election, which they say was rigged in favor of Lukashenko Paris: France is stepping up the pressure on Belarus’ longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko, with President Emmanuel Macron telling a prominent French weekly that “Lukashenko must go.” The European Union said on Thursday it does not recognize …

Belarus: Video shows dramatic moment taxi driver helps fleeing protestor escape armed police
4 years, 3 months ago

Belarus: Video shows dramatic moment taxi driver helps fleeing protestor escape armed police

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 Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks …

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 …

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko abruptly sworn in for new presidential term
4 years, 3 months ago

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko abruptly sworn in for new presidential term

ABC  

The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has been sworn in for a new term in a sudden inauguration conducted with no prior announcement, according to official news agency Beltra. Key points: Alexander Lukashenko will begin his sixth term after officially claiming 80 per cent of the vote Mr Lukashenko's strongest election opponent got 10 per cent of the vote There …

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 leader Lukashenko disparages protests as US plan
4 years, 3 months ago

Belarus leader Lukashenko disparages protests as US plan

Associated Press  

MOSCOW — Belarus’ authoritarian leader on Wednesday sought to disparage protesters demanding his resignation for a sixth straight week following a disputed election by accusing the United States of fomenting the unrest. He said re-establishing a national consensus “is absolutely essential for the harmonious development of the country.” Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed in a statement …

Belarus leader visits Putin to secure support amid protests
4 years, 3 months ago

Belarus leader visits Putin to secure support amid protests

Associated Press  

MOSCOW — Belarus’ authoritarian president visited Russia on Monday in a bid to secure more loans and political support, as demonstrations against the extension of his 26-year rule entered their sixth week. President Alexander Lukashenko’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi came a day after an estimated 150,000 people flooded the streets of …

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 …

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 …

10,000 women march to demand that Belarus president resign
4 years, 3 months ago

10,000 women march to demand that Belarus president resign

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — About 10,000 women marched noisily through the Belarusian capital on Saturday, beating pots and pans and shouting for the resignation of the country’s authoritarian president in the 35th consecutive day of large anti-government protests. Others carried placards reading “ “You painted my heart with blue pain,” referring to President Alexander Lukashenko’s claim that some women previously had …

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 …

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 …

Discover Related