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Alexander Lukashenko: The Belarusian president did not give any reasons for the dismissal of his interior minister
Photo:
Nikolai Petrov / dpa
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is under increasing pressure.
Mass protests against his leadership have been going on in the country for months.
Now the head of state is exchanging his interior minister.
In the midst of the political crisis, the previous incumbent Yuri Karayev was dismissed.
He will be succeeded by the police chief of the capital Minsk, Ivan Kubrakow.
Lukashenko announced this to the state agency Belta.
The president did not initially name reasons for the surprising change at the top of the Interior Ministry.
There have been protests against Lukashenko in Belarus since the presidential elections in the summer.
Lukashenko, described by opponents as the "last dictator in Europe", was confirmed for a sixth term in office with more than 80 percent of the vote.
The democracy movement claims victory for civil rights activist Svetlana Tichanovskaya.
Shortly before his release, Karayev threatened the security forces to crack down on demonstrators.
He is said to be the new representative of the President in the Grodno region on the border with the EU country Poland.
These posts were also filled for Minsk and Brest on the border with Poland.
A particularly large number of demonstrators take to the streets in the three areas.
For several days there have been selective strikes in the country.
At the last mass demonstration on Sunday in Minsk with more than 100,000 people, the security forces used flash, smoke and noise grenades against the crowd.
Lukashenko had only said on Wednesday that he had given the order.
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asc / dpa
