The authorities of Belarus (what we called Belarus until recently) arrested at least a hundred protesters on Sunday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Eastern European country reports. In reality it may be a much larger number of people who have been arrested.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Belarus again on Sunday to demand that President Alexander Lukashenko resign. In capital Minsk are according to news agency Reuters at least dozens of people arrested. Many people were also arrested in other cities.
The government warned protesters not to block soldiers and military vehicles ahead of Sunday’s demonstration, but many people did not heed. Many protesters also carried red and white flags and shouted slogans demanding the president’s resignation.
Several people are said to have been injured when police officers tried to disperse protesters at a state tractor factory. Images on social media show that protesters are chased away with pepper spray.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 91 demonstrators were also arrested on Saturday. The ministry then promised to scale up security and “take all necessary measures to prevent actions and violations”.
‘Last dictator in Europe’
The incumbent President Lukashenko has been referred to as ‘the last dictator in Europe’ and has been in power in Belarus since 1994. Never before has he met so much resistance as during the last elections. His reputation for human rights, the economic situation in the country and his approach to the coronavirus are causing a lot of anger. In recent months there have been massive demonstrations against him.
In the elections on August 9, Lukashenko beat opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya by 80 percent. The opposition has accused him and his government of electoral fraud. Since then it has been restless in the country.
There is also a lot of doubt internationally about the validity of the election results. The EU does not recognize the results of the elections.
Why do we call Belarus Belarus from now on?
- Since independence in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country has been officially called the Republic of Belarus. That name is therefore used in official texts. Belarus does more justice to what the population calls the country itself. Some Belarusians take offense at the name Belarus because of the association with Russia. Previously, we used the established name Belarus, because it is more recognizable to many readers.
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