Belarus: opposition rally violently dispersed in Minsk

According to an NGO, the police made around 150 arrests.

Minsk, October 11, 2020. AP Photo

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Like every Sunday, thousands of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met at the start of the afternoon to demonstrate in Minsk.

But they were brutally dispersed.

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With water cannons, batons and stun grenades, the Belarusian police intervened in force this Sunday in Minsk to disperse the thousands of demonstrators denouncing the re-election in August of President

Alexander Lukashenko

.

The historic protest movement in Belarus, triggered by suspicion of massive fraud during the presidential election on August 9, has gathered tens of thousands of people every Sunday for two months.

This afternoon again, a huge crowd gathered in the capital to demand the departure of Alexander Lukashenko, in power for 26 years.

But the police did everything to prevent the various processions from regrouping, blocking streets and intervening in force upstream to disperse certain groups.

“ 

I saw members of the special forces beat people with kicks, fists, with sticks,

testifies to RFI a resident of Minsk, whose mother was arrested while she was demonstrating.

Police assault was higher than on previous Sundays.

 "

The use of this arsenal on such a scale is a first since the demonstrations which took place the days following the poll, when thousands of people were arrested, dozens injured and a handful killed.

Since then, the clashes in Minsk had been sporadic.

If the Interior Ministry has not taken stock of the arrests, the NGO Viasna reported nearly 150 people arrested in the country, the vast majority in Minsk.

Among them, more than 30 journalists.

For the ministry, on the other hand, " 

the number of participants in today's unauthorized event has decreased compared to previous times

 ."

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  • Belarus

  • Alexander Lukashenko