Protests in Minsk
Photo: SERGEI GAPON / AFPThe situation in Belarus is not easing: after the presidential election overshadowed by massive electoral fraud, the protests against the authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko do not stop. Hundreds of people were reportedly arrested, including 20 journalists, according to Reuters news agency.
According to Reuters, the journalists wanted to report on the protests in the capital Minsk. The security forces had confiscated the reporters' phones and ID cards, a Reuters witness said.
The Interior Ministry later announced that the journalists had been taken to the police station. There it should be checked whether they had a valid press accreditation. All reporters who had official accreditation should be released. The agency denied that the journalists had been arrested.
Russia wants to intervene militarily under certain circumstances
The Russian government had previously made it clear that Russia was ready to "help" the neighboring state with emergency services if the situation worsened. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview that a separate reserve had been created in the event of an intervention. "But I hope it won't come to that."
Minsk can now hope for help from Moscow for its security forces. A deployment in the neighboring country will only take place under certain conditions, Putin said. "When the situation gets out of hand and extremist elements hiding behind political slogans cross certain borders." He listed robbery, car set on fire, and bank robbery as examples. However, there is currently no such "need".
Poland warns Russia against interference
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Moscow in the "Bild": "President Lukashenko and the regime in Minsk must ensure that the people of Belarus can also decide and determine the future of Belarus." There is no concentration of NATO troops in the region, which is why Minsk cannot use this as an excuse to put down the peaceful protests.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned Russia against military intervention in Belarus, which also borders Poland. "The Polish government calls on Russia to immediately abandon its plans for a military intervention in Belarus under the false pretext of restoring order," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday. Such a move would be "a hostile act" and a "violation of international law".
höh / Reuters / dpa
