Human chain in regime protest
THOUSANDS of people stood side by side to form a giant human chain through Minsk in ongoing protests at government corruption in Belarus.
The chain stretched for miles from the outskirts of the capital to a detention centre where vocal opponents of the leadership have been locked up. Many demonstrators held hands in defiance of social distancing, while others waved flags and blew whistles.
Passing drivers blew their horns to show support for the chain, which began in woodland where Stalin’s Soviet secret police executed dissidents in the 1930s. One observer called it “the most peaceful protest I’ve ever seen”.
Belarus has had mass protests since a disputed election on August 9 saw President Alexander Lukashenko returned to power for the sixth time.
Opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who has fled to Lithuania, said: “Every person is scared. We will never accept the leadership again.”