In Belarus, arrests of opponents are increasing in the run-up to the presidential election

Text by: RFI Follow

Faced with an opposition that meets more and more echo, Alexander Lukashenko, the outgoing Belarusian president and candidate for his re-election opts for the strong way. Friday, June 19, nearly 140 people were arrested during rallies held the day after the arrest of the main opposition candidate.

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Sign of the concern of Alexander Lukashenko, the outgoing Belarusian president and running for a sixth term, arrests are increasing less than two months before the presidential election . On Friday June 19, around 140 people were arrested during several opposition demonstrations , the Viasna human rights center said on Saturday June 20. The day before, it was the president's most serious rival, the banker and candidate for the election to be held on August 9, Viktor Babaryko, who had been arrested.

"  The arrest of a large number of peaceful journalists and protesters this evening is unacceptable,  " tweeted the British Embassy in Minsk, the country's capital. The American embassy, ​​for its part, called on President Lukashenko to "  respect his international commitments, to respect fundamental freedoms  ".

Several journalists working for foreign media were also arrested, including the correspondent for Radio Free Europe, who was taken away by plainclothes police while filming live. A freelance videographer on a mission for Reuters was also arrested in Minsk before being released, a spokeswoman for the news agency said.

Unfair election results, say European observers

Observers do not doubt the political nature of these arrests. Viktor Babaryko was thus arrested Thursday when he had to deposit the sponsorships necessary for his candidacy at the seat of the electoral commission.

In 26 years of uninterrupted power of Alexander Lukashenko, this is the most tense campaign against a backdrop of economic crisis and minimization of the coronavirus epidemic. Other opponents and potential rivals of the Belarusian president have been targeted by the justice system and the police in recent weeks. Popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky has been charged with "  disturbing public order  " and longtime opposition figure Mikola Statkevich is serving a 15-day prison sentence for an unauthorized demonstration.

Since 1994, no opposition has been able to take root in the country's political landscape. Many of its leaders have been imprisoned, and in 2019, no opponent was elected to parliament. The results of the last four presidential elections were not recognized as fair by European observers.

(With AFP )

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• Alexander Lukashenko
• Belarus

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