Belarus: thousands of women protest against head of state Lukashenko

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Protesters in Minsk hold a banner that reads "Enough"

Despite a strict ban on demonstrations, thousands of women protested against head of state Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. They walked through the capital Minsk on Saturday, as can be seen in pictures on social networks. Police and special police units stood in the city center to obstruct the protest march to Independence Square. There were also emergency services and buses ready for possible arrests, as a reporter from the German Press Agency reported from the scene. 

The police warned in announcements that the action was not allowed. Metro stations in the capital were temporarily closed. The aim of the "Great Parade of the Female Peacekeepers" is to achieve the release of prisoners, prosecute police violence and get new elections, it said. Some men were arrested on the fringes of the action. 

Women occupy a prominent position in the democracy movement in Minsk. A protest march about two kilometers long was planned from Freedom Square through the center to Independence Square.

At the beginning of the protests, the uniformed men arrested almost 7,000 people

The leader of the democracy movement is the activist Svetlana Tichanovskaya. The 37-year-old competed against Lukashenko in the presidential election on August 9, but Lukashenko claims victory after 26 years in power. The election commission gave him 80.1 percent of the vote, while Tichanowskaya only 10 percent. The choice is criticized internationally as grossly falsified.

Lukashenko's supporters also took to the streets again on Saturday. The state agency Belta published photos of motorcars with the red and green state flag. Unlike the opposition protests, these actions are allowed. 

In the past few days, the security forces had repeatedly taken action against demonstrators. According to the Interior Ministry, there were 32 arrests on Friday - after around 260 the previous day. At the beginning of the protests, the uniformed men arrested almost 7,000 people. After that, the security forces largely held back.

Most recently, journalists have also been targeted by the authoritarian government

The USA, the EU, Great Britain and Switzerland sharply criticized the violent crackdown on Saturday. "We condemn the disproportionate use of force and call on the Belarusian authorities to end the violence and the threats to use military force against the citizens of their own country," said the representations of the three countries and the EU in Minsk in a joint statement.

Most recently, journalists have also been targeted by the authoritarian government. A reporter from the German Press Agency in Minsk reported that the accreditations had been withdrawn from several representatives of Western media. Some have already been expelled from the country. The authorities apparently want to prevent reporting on the nationwide protests. 

The country's journalists' association spoke of a massive revocation of work permits for media representatives from Belarus who worked for foreign television or radio stations, newspapers and news agencies. According to the WDR, an ARD camera team that was held overnight in a police station was also affected. It was released again on Saturday morning. 

WDR program director Jörg Schönenborn was appalled. "This shows again that independent reporting in Belarus is becoming increasingly difficult and almost impossible," he said. The US embassy in Minsk asked the authorities not to detain journalists and to stop blocking internet access. Tichanovskaya criticized the cancellation of accreditations as an attempt to frighten and intimidate society. 

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin reiterated that he had no doubts about the election victory. "As you know, I congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on his victory," he said in an interview with the state television broadcaster Rossija 1. Regarding the falsification allegations, he said: nothing in the world is "ideal" - "neither in politics nor in politics Economy still in the social field ". 

Putin had previously announced publicly for the first time that he would send troops from the Russian Interior Ministry if the situation in the neighboring country escalated. Moscow had previously warned the West several times not to interfere in the power struggle.

pgo / dpa