4 yıl önce

Thousand gather in Belarus capital in protest as Putin and Lukashenko speak

Minsk has seen several thousand gather in a new protest, indicating that opposition to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election is not going away.

Reuters

People gather to pay tribute to protester Alexander Taraykovskiy, who was killed during recent rallies against the presidential election results, at the site of his death in Minsk, Belarus August 15, 2020.

Several thousand people have gathered in Minsk after Belarus's opposition called for more protests over President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election.

The large crowd gathered near the Pushkinskaya metro station in the capital on Saturday in honour of a protester who died there during this week's police crackdown on demonstrators.

This comes as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone. The Kremlin went on to express confidence that all problems that have arisen in Belarus will soon be resolved, the Kremlin said.

Belarus isn’t playing. This is Minsk today. Transit workers are striking, factory workers are striking, the whole country is fighting dictatorship.

pic.twitter.com/mgVJ0p0nz2
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) August 14, 2020

"These problems should not be exploited by destructive forces seeking to harm the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the union state," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Rising wave

Demonstrators laid flowers at the site where Alexander Taraikovsky, 34, died on Monday during clashes between protesters and police a day after the election that Lukashenko claims to have won with 80 percent of the vote.

Many chanted "leave!" and some held pictures of protesters with severe bruises, after accounts emerged of detained demonstrators being beaten and tortured.

Others carried signs reading "no to violence" and "no more torture".

More than 6,700 people were arrested in the crackdown and hundreds injured.

Officials have confirmed two deaths in the unrest, including Taraikovsky who they say died when an explosive device went off in his hand during a protest, and another man who died in custody after being arrested in the southeastern city of Gomel.

Taraikovsky's funeral was being held on Saturday and a "march for freedom" is planned in central Minsk on Sunday, after main opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called for a weekend of new demonstrations.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies