Law Enforcement In Belarus Dispersed Protests, 680 Detainees

Law Enforcement In Belarus Dispersed Protests, 680 Detainees

The rally, which originally took place in the center of Minsk, dispersed the riot forces and barricaded the area with armored vehicles. Protesters scattered around the city. This created smaller groups of people with white-red-white flags of the opposition, protesters shouted "Long live Belarus!" or "Much belongs to the people!". Videos taken in the streets of the metropolis show members of the security forces in black uniforms chasing demonstrators and taking them to their cars with batons in hand. In one shopping center, they closed exits and began searching customers for banners and other materials used by the opposition. Law enforcement officials also stopped and searched cars, Reuters reported. The metro stations in Minsk were closed so that people could not get to the center, and the mobile internet was switched off so that Lukashenko's opponents could not convene at rallies. Among those newly detained is, for example, Andrei Kravchenko, the holder of the Olympic silver medal in decathlon, who signed a call for Belarusian athletes to hold new elections. Miss Belarus of 2008 Olga Chizinkova was also detained, writes the AP agency. Lukashenko's supporters also took to the streets of Minsk to drive cars with the permission of the authorities. They waved red-green national flags. Belarus has been experiencing an unprecedented political crisis for almost three months after the disputed presidential elections on August 9, in which Lukashenko won again. He has ruled the country since 1994. According to the opposition, however, the result of the vote has been manipulated and is not recognized by many Western countries. Belarus is regularly held peaceful anti-government protests, which are being brutally suppressed by the power apparatus. As a result, several people lost their lives, hundreds were injured and thousands were detained. Lukashenko's main rival in the election, Sviatlana Cichanouska, praised the people's fearless and persistent struggle against the current president, described as Europe's last dictator. "We have been resisting injustice and violence for 90 days," said the opposition leader, who is in exile in Lithuania. "During these 90 days, the Belarusians showed the regime that it had lost its legitimacy and authority," she added. He hopes that Joe Biden, whom the Americans elected their new president this week, will put pressure on Lukashenko.