Minsk
Opposition protesters in Belarus took to the streets of capital Minsk on Sunday in the latest of three months of demonstrations against the re-election of strongman president Alexander Lukashenko. Since an August election, Belarus has been gripped by massive protests that erupted after Lukashenko, 66, secured a sixth term as president of the ex-Soviet republic.
The opposition believes the election was rigged and political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — who ran against Lukashenko in the place of her jailed husband — was the true winner of the polls.
In recent weeks, authorities imposed an intense crackdown in which hundreds were detained and protesters were prevented from gathering in central Minsk. That prompted Lukashenko’s opponents to change tactic, calling on supporters to create small gatherings in every district of the capital. Dmitry Golubev, a 20-year-old student, told AFP that he is rallying for “fair elections, Lukashenko’s resignation and the release of political prisoners”. “We are not evil people, not foreign agents (…), we are citizens of Belarus, who want peace, calm and respect for human rights in their country,” Golubev said, holding a red and white flag — a symbol of the Belarus opposition.—AFP
