Tens of thousands of people they are demonstrating in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, against the result of the last elections, which had given President Alexander Lukashenko another mandate. The protest, one of the largest organized to date, is being held despite threats from the police to intervene and despite the recent fierce crackdown by law enforcement against dissidents and opponents. The protesters gathered in Independence Square and the images that are arriving show both the square and the surrounding streets full of people.
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The police are trying to convince the protesters to leave: they are using loudspeakers to warn that the protest is illegal, but for the moment without obtaining anything.
Police: „Dear citizens, this is an unauthorized mass meeting…“ But people dont care, even the street which leads to the square is PACKED. pic.twitter.com/8W1MCElJZt
— Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) August 23, 2020
The protests in Belarus began after the presidential elections, which according to official data were overwhelmed by Lukashenko. The opposition, however, had spoken of fraud and accused the government of having manipulated the outcome of the vote. A demonstration was held in Minsk last weekend defined by many newspapers “The most popular in the history of the country”.
– Read also: What Russia wants to do in Belarus
