Belarus warns Brussels of a possible meeting with the opposition leader

A Belarusian police officer detains activist Nina Baginskaya, this Saturday in Minsk.STR / EFE

The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned this Saturday that a possible participation of the main opposition leader Svetlana Tijanóvskaya in a European ministerial meeting would be interpreted as interference by the European Union in the country's internal affairs, according to the state agency. news outlet Belta.

Shortly before, Russian public agencies had reported that Tijanóvskaya is expected to participate in the meeting of EU foreign ministers to be held this week.

The opposition candidate and candidate for the presidency is in exile in Lithuania due to the danger that she and her family would run if she continued in the country.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry also reported that it has already contacted European diplomats to convey its position.

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has always warned against a possible interference by Brussels in the crisis that is going through the country due to the protests that have provoked the elections held on August 9, which Lukashenko claims to have won with 80% of the votes despite serious evidence of tampering.

The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, a close ally of the Belarusian leader, has also said he is willing to intervene in the former Soviet republic if he considers that there was interference from abroad in the crisis.

Meanwhile, protests in Belarus continue to gather many citizens every weekend.

This Saturday hundreds of people, mostly women, have demonstrated in the center of Minsk demanding the removal of Lukashenko from power and the holding of free and fair democratic elections.

The media have reported that the police detained hundreds of protesters, after a clash with officers who were trying to prevent the march from continuing.

Among those arrested is Nina Bahinskaya, a 73-year-old great-grandmother and one of the most recognizable faces in the protests.

Bahinskaya has more than half of her pension garnished from fines for participating in the protests for decades.

Eyewitnesses have assured that several officers dressed in green but without identification and wearing black balaclavas have surrounded a group of women who shouted "Only cowards beat women."