In Belarus, people continue to take to the streets against President Lukashenko. Many do not believe that his re-election was right. The security apparatus is cracking down on its own people. In the evening there is the first death.
Minsk (AP) - During demonstrations against the controversial re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus (Belarus), new riots broke out on Monday evening.
There were numerous reports on social media of serious clashes between security forces and demonstrators in several cities of the ex-Soviet republic. A protester was killed in the capital Minsk. The authorities in Minsk said an explosive device had exploded in the man's hand and was about to throw it at special police units.
The protests are directed against Lukashenko, who has ruled the country between Poland and Russia with a hard hand for more than a quarter of a century. There are great doubts about his supposed victory in the election on Sunday with 80 percent of the vote. Many suspect that the result was faked. Lukashenko is called "the last dictator in Europe" by critics.
Reports circulated on the Internet that the police had fired stun grenades to disperse people. In the capital Minsk, protesters had erected barricades. The police are also said to have used rubber bullets. There were also several injured. The exact number was initially not known. Eyewitnesses reported people covered in blood. Screams were repeatedly heard on videos on the news channel Telegram when demonstrators resisted their arrest. The police also beat people who were lying on the ground.
Thousands of people took part in the protests, most of them in Minsk. According to reports, bottles and eggs were thrown at the secret service building there. The police tried to push the protesters out of the center. Entire streets were cordoned off. You could also see how people ran away from the emergency services. Other blocked intersections. Cars drove through the city honking as a sign of protest. Many passers-by clapped and waved their cell phone cameras.
On the night of Monday there were protests across the country and some riots. Many doubt that President Lukashenko won the vote by a huge margin. According to the official result, the challenger Svetlana Tichanowskaja only got 10 percent. She does not recognize the result. However, Tichanovskaya does not want to join the protests at first. The police may feel provoked by their presence and arrest them, their staff said.
UN Secretary General António Guterres called on the Belarusian authorities in the face of the violence to show "absolute restraint and full respect for the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and the formation of groups". The Washington White House expressed "deep concern". US President Donald Trump's spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said: "We call on the government of Belarus to respect the right to peaceful assembly and not to use force".
Hours before the new actions began, the authorities gathered security forces in the center of Minsk on Monday. Unscrewed benches and trash cans at bus stops were removed - probably out of fear that demonstrators could use them against the security forces. In addition, shopping centers were closed prematurely, reported media from the capital. People wrote on social networks that the Internet is disrupted.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200810-99-118668 / 2