Authorities in Belarus again target opposition leaders following Sunday's massive protest.
during the mid-week pause, detaining more protesters and last week jailing two opposition leaders for 10 days. Masked police ordered a small crowd of protesters to disperse from Minsk's main Independence Square on Monday evening.Opposition supporters take part in a rally against presidential election results near the Independence Palace in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 30, 2020.
The protest was the first large one since Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he could send security forces into Belarus if protesters seek to remove Lukashenko violently. Putin said on Thursday he believed that was not currently necessary and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, reiterated that Monday, saying for now the Kremlin believes Lukashenko has the situation in hand.
Belarus' main opposition leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran against Lukashenko on Aug. 9 in the country's contested election, warned Putin on Monday against sending Russian riot police to her country. "We are giving a clear signal that such actions are not acceptable and that those responsible for such acts are not welcome in Latvia," Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told the Baltic News Service."We call upon the European Union to promptly proceed with similar decisions."Belarusian servicemen block a street during an opposition supporters rally protesting against disputed presidential elections results in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 30, 2020.
"I believe that, despite everything, we have a somewhat authoritarian system of arrangements in civic life," Lukashenko said during a televised meeting with the head of Belarus' Supreme Court, discussing the country's judicial system."It's an issue of personality, and it needs to be done so that the system is not tied to a personality, including Lukashenko."
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