Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, ordered security leaders to suppress opposition protests, warning the opposition that prisoners would not be taken.
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It is time to take a tougher line against the protesters, meeting with the new police leadership, the leader said.
“We are not taking anyone captive. If someone touches a soldier – I have already spoken to the generals – he must leave there as a minimum without hands. I say this in public so that everyone understands our further determination. Next – everything. We have nowhere to step back, “We are not going to resign. We are ready to act,” Lukashenko said.
The leader has become harsher in his statements after opposition leader Svetlana Tihanovska gave him an ultimatum to announce his resignation from the presidency by October 25.
Lukashenko ignores the ultimatum, has also made shifts in security structures, but about resigning said – “only in your dreams.”
“The president never runs and does not plan to run away,” Lukashenko said.
On Thursday, he replaced the interior minister and closed the border with European Union countries and Ukraine.
On Friday, he appointed a new police chief in the capital, Minsk.
Mr Lukashenko has also proposed setting up armed volunteer units for former military personnel.
“They can help a lot,” the leader said.
Tikhanovsky has rejected the significance of the shifts, saying Lukashenko is panicking and urging supporters to continue protests.
Protests against the falsification of the presidential election have reportedly continued in Belarus since 9 August. About 15,000 people have been detained and several hundred injured during the protests. The biggest protests take place on Sundays.
According to the official results of the presidential election in Belarus on August 9, the current head of state Lukashenko won 80.1% of the vote, but the opposition candidate Tikhanovska – 10.1%, but the opposition believes that the election results are fake and Tikhanovsky won the election convincingly.
The European Union and other Western countries have also refused to recognize the election results.
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