Belarus: Lukashenko rejects dialogue with his opponents

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Alexander Lukashenko

For Alexander Lukashenko, the demonstrators in Belarus are easy to classify: "The basis of all these so-called protesters are people with a criminal past who are now unemployed," said the head of state, who is known as the "last dictator in Europe", in Minsk on Wednesday.

Despite the bloody protests over the controversial presidential election, Lukashenko sees no reason for a dialogue with his opponents. At a meeting on national security issues, he said, according to the state media, that above all the constitutional order must be protected and the "normal functioning of the state organs" must be ensured.

The head of state, who has been in office for more than 26 years, was declared the winner of the presidential election for the sixth time in a row on Sunday. Since then, there have been protests across the country with calls for dialogue and a recount of votes. Security forces have been violently suppressing the demonstrations for days. Water cannons, tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets are used.

In the night of Wednesday, there was also a sharp shot in one case; a man was injured. In total, there have been thousands of arrests and hundreds of injuries.

The aim of the demonstrations is to push Lukashenko out of office after more than a quarter of a century. Svetlana Tichanovskaya, who was nominated by the opposition, declared herself the winner. The 37-year-old went into exile in Lithuania on Tuesday under pressure from Lukashenko's apparatchiks. The protests continue anyway.

Human rights activists complain that thugs in black uniforms and masks without identification tags are beating peaceful and unarmed citizens and arresting hundreds of them for no reason. According to journalists' associations, there was also violence against dozens of correspondents. In addition, Lukashenko's forces sometimes destroyed technology and images from photographers and camera teams.

as / dpa