Advertisement

Updated September 20th, 2020 at 02:36 IST

Belarus: Over 200 women protestors detained in Minsk as unrest continues

On September 19, Minsk police cracked down on a women’s protest march in the capital as Belarus continues to roil with mass demonstrations for the sixth week.

Reported by: Akanksha Arora
Belarus
| Image:self
Advertisement

On September 19, Minsk police cracked down on a women’s protest march in the capital as Belarus continues to roil with mass demonstrations for the sixth week. As per reports, the women protestors were demanding President Alexander Lukashenko' resignation when the police arrested more than 200 participants, included an elderly woman who has become a symbol of the Belarus protest.

Read: Belarus President Lukashenko Reiterates Russia's US Funding Theory To Disparage Protestors

Unrest in Belarus continues 

The Belarusian leader has served 26 years in office and was declared to have won the recent elections with 80% votes but protestors believe that the ballot was rigged. Both the European Union and the United States have called the Belarus elections neither free nor fair.

Human rights group Viasna is reported to have said that more than 200 people were arrested during the September 19 march. Viasna member Valentin Stepanovich said, “There were so many people detained that lines formed at the prisoner transports”. 

Lukashenko’s main opponent in the election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, applauded the women protestors in a video statement and said, “They have frightened and put pressure on women for the second month, but despite this, Belarusians are continuing their peaceful protest and showing their amazing fortitude”.

Read: Belarus Borders Remain Open Despite President Lukashenko's Closure Threat

Tsikhanouskaya has been forced to flee the country after several threats to her life. Over the weeks of mass protests, women in Belarus were also seen forming ‘solidarity chains’ to condemn police brutality.

Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich has accused Belarusian authorities of terrorising their own people as she urged protestors to remain united in the face of adversity. Alexievich reportedly summoned her supporters to her home after another opposition figure, Maxim Znak, was detained by masked men in plain clothes in a round-up ordered by President Alexander Lukashenko.

Earlier on September 17, Lukashenko has announced that he was putting the army on high alert and closing the borders with Lithuania and Poland. According to the reports, Lukashenko said, “We are forced to withdraw troops from the streets, put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west, primarily with Lithuania and Poland”. However, the National Border Guard Service said all border checkpoints remained open even though controls and inspections were strengthened.

Read: Belarus President Lukashenko Brings Teenage Son To Frontline As Protests Intensify

Also Read: Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Confirms Plan To Change Constitution: Kremlin

(Image Credits: AP)

Advertisement

Published September 20th, 2020 at 02:36 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Shashank Srivastava and Partho Banerjee
3 minutes ago
India Registers stern objection to US remarks on Kejriwal
5 minutes ago
A Matador fell into a gorge in J&K's Poonch, injuring 9.
7 minutes ago
Hacker
9 minutes ago
Sakshi Tanwar
10 minutes ago
Bollywood actor Govinda
11 minutes ago
Game Changer
12 minutes ago
chain snatching
17 minutes ago
Shahjahan Sheikh in CBI Custody: First Visual Emerges | WATCH
19 minutes ago
UP: Father-Son Die After Being Hit By Vehicle During Morning Walk
20 minutes ago
Heinrich Klassen's daughter
21 minutes ago
Arvind Kejriwal
24 minutes ago
Delhi Finance Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj
30 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo