Belarusian People’s Determination to Demonstrate Remains Unabated Over 100 Arrests in Minsk

On October 18, Belarusian capital Minsk once again held demonstrations for several weeks calling for the ouster of Lukashenka, known as “Europe’s last dictator. Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in the capital, Minsk, and elsewhere in spite of recent threats by Lukashenko’s authorities that security forces would use lethal weapons if necessary.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a Belarusian opposition leader who has been granted asylum in Lithuania, said on November 13 that Lukashenko must step down by the 25th and release all political prisoners and demonstrators who have been arrested, or she will launch a nationwide strike on the 26th. The entire country’s people will then take to the streets peacefully,” she said. In addition, Tikhanovskaya met with the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states and Canada on the 16th. The four foreign ministers expressed their support for the Belarusian people’s quest for a free and democratic state of their own.

Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday to voice their demands for Lukashenko, who has been in power in the country for 26 years, to step down for more than two months, despite recent threats by Lukashenko’s authorities to use lethal weapons if the demonstrations intensified. The red and white Belarusian flag, a symbol of the opposition’s identity, once again filled the streets of Minsk, and a huge red and white flag was hung out of the window of a 20-story residential building, covering three quarters of the building to show support for the demonstrators. More than 100 people were arrested by security forces during Sunday’s march in Minsk, according to Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Tchemodanova, who spoke to AFP.

Masked Belarusian security forces are known to arrest demonstrators who arrive at the rear and wings of such large marches. They usually do not wear badges or other identification that would identify them. There were reports that Internet signals in parts of Minsk were jammed that day, and sounds like shock bombs were heard near the demonstrators.