500 detained at weekend protests
KYIV, Ukraine — Authorities in Belarus have detained about 500 people during weekend protests against the country’s authoritarian president, who has claimed a sixth term in office in an election widely seen as rigged.
Belarus’ Interior Ministry said Monday that 150 protesters were detained on Saturday and at least 350 more on Sunday, when antigovernment protests spanned 22 cities. Daily rallies have rocked Belarus for seven weeks now, with the largest ones drawing up to 200,000 people, in the biggest challenge yet to President Alexander Lukashenko’s long hardline reign.
About 100,000 demonstrators marched in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Lukashenko, who has cracked down hard on opposition and independent news media during 26 years in power.
According to the Viasna human rights group, the clampdown on the protesters this weekend wasn’t as violent as before.
“Repressions get stuck when more than 100,000 people take to the streets,” Viasna head Ales Bialiatski said. “The authorities’ scare tactics don’t work anymore.”
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting since the
Aug. 9 presidential election, which officials claim handed Lukashenko, a 66yearold former state farm director, a victory with 80% of the vote.
Both opposition members and some poll workers say the vote was rigged, and the United States and the European Union have condemned the election as neither free nor fair. Many European countries have refused to recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate leader after his inauguration last week.
During the first days after the election, police used tear gas, truncheons and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. Some protesters died, many were injured and nearly 7,000 were detained.
Belarusian authorities have opened a criminal probe into members of the Coordination Council, created by the opposition to push for a peaceful transition of power, on the charges of undermining national security. Many members have been arrested or fled the country.