On Saturday, police detained 430 people, mostly women, who took part in an opposition march in Minsk. Most of them were released by the police after verification of identity.
Defense of President Lukashenko’s residence
The route of Sunday’s “Solidarity March” in Minsk had to change due to the fact that the law enforcement forces blocked the approaches towards Lukashenko’s residence, where, according to TASS, numerous units of the law enforcement forces, including armored personnel carriers, were concentrated.
Even before Sunday’s demonstration in Minsk, security forces began closing large squares in the morning. The Interior Ministry has issued a strong warning against participating in protests, not only in the metropolis but also in other Belarusian cities. At the same time, it threatened to use force against those who disobeyed this challenge.
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Prior to the “Solidarity March”, operators reduced the speed of the mobile Internet at the request of the authorities. Seven metro stations were also closed.
Cichanouská at a meeting in Brussels
Presidential candidate Sviatlana Cichanouska, who was forced by the authorities to leave the country immediately after the August elections, can only watch the protests indirectly. She should fight for Belarus in Brussels on Monday. It will hold talks with the European Union’s foreign ministers. They are to the displeasure of Minsk and Moscow to discuss sanctions.
The Belarusian authorities are then looking for hackers who have come up with their own way to push the regime in Minsk. They have published a list of thousands of members of the security forces who do not hesitate to resort to violence. Other names are to follow. The government claims to find and detain the perpetrator.
After the announcement by the authorities that Lukashenko, who has ruled the country hard for 26 years, won the August election with more than 80 percent of the vote, large-scale protests erupted in Belarus. Many Belarusians are convinced that this result is falsified. The opposition, like the European Union, does not recognize it. Demonstrations, whose participants demand the departure of Lukashenko and new elections, continue through brutal police interventions and arrests.
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