Outrage in Belarus over the suspicious death of an opposition supporter

When Roman Bondarenko saw a group of strangers near his home in Minsk tearing off the flags and the red-and-white ribbons that supporters of the Belarusian opposition have made their symbol, he tried to avoid it.

The discussion on Wednesday night turned into an altercation in which the group of masked men attacked Bondarenko.

The 31-year-old painter was hit several times on the head before plainclothes security agents put him in a van without identification.

An hour and a half later, he was left in a hospital in the Belarusian capital with cerebral edema, according to reports from civil rights organizations and independent media, which have reconstructed the case.

He died last night.

The authorities say that the police found him already beaten, also that he was drunk and that he participated in a street fight.

Bondarenko's is at least the fifth protest-related death since protests broke out against alleged electoral fraud in Belarus and against its president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, three months ago.

The case has unleashed another huge wave of outrage.

This Friday, thousands of people took to the streets again in Minsk and other Belarusian cities in rejection of the suspicious death of Bondarenko.

With candles, flowers and banners with slogans such as "we will not forget" or "stop killing us", thousands of citizens have formed human chains to demand an end to police violence and the departure of the authoritarian leader.

There are a dozen detainees, according to the count by civil rights NGOs.

In what is known as Plaza de los Cambio, where Bondarenko was attacked, in one of the most active neighborhoods in the protests for democracy, hundreds of people left offerings, candles and flowers next to a makeshift altar with photographs of the painter.

But neither the continuous and varied protests, nor the Western sanctions nor the calls for a general strike have managed to make Lukashenko move a hand.

The Belarusian leader, who last August claimed his sixth consecutive term with 80% of the votes after a presidential election plagued by allegations of irregularities, has responded to the mobilizations by imprisoning - or expelling - the main opposition leaders, more arrests and a tough policy of retaliation.

Last Sunday, Belarusian security forces arrested more than a thousand people.

And the arrests take place in the protests of women, students, retirees, people with disabilities, which in spite of everything continue.

Since August 9, more than 18,000 people have been arrested for participating in mobilizations and 900 face criminal charges, according to the specialized organization Vesná.

The European Union, which has already imposed sanctions against Lukashenko and several dozen officials for their role in the harsh repression of the demonstrations, has been scandalized by the death of the opposition supporter and has left the door open for more sanctions for him. case.

“This is an outrageous and shameful result of the actions of the Belarusian authorities who have not only directly and violently carried out the repression of their own population, but have also created an environment in which such violent and illegal acts can take place. ”, Said in a statement a spokesman for the representative for EU Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.

Opposition leader Svetlana Tijanóvskaya, who went into exile in Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family, has called for more measures against the Lukashenko administration.

“An internal investigation must be opened.

Political prisoners, activists, journalists, striking workers, artists need your solidarity.

Our objective remains the same, free and fair elections, ”he said in a statement this Friday.

The Belarusian leader, who once again assured today that the demonstrations against him are an attempted coup by the West, has declared that he will ensure that there is an "objective" investigation in the Bondarenko case.

His death, as happened when hundreds of cases of police violence and torture were made public in the first days of the demonstrations, may mark another high point in the protests.