Violence against poll protesters and detention of opposition supporters condemned
People attend a rally following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, on August 11 2020. Picture: REUTERS/VASILY FEDOSENKO
In the capital, Minsk, people gathered in neighbourhoods, blocking parts of the street with cars and cheering from the sidewalks. During clashes with the police, one man died when an explosive detonated in his hand at a barricade at about 11pm local time, according to the interior ministry. “The US is deeply concerned about the conduct of the August 9 presidential election in Belarus, which was not free and fair,” secretary of state Michael Pompeo said. “We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters.”
The Belarusian president dismissed the opposition as “sheep” who were being directed from abroad, including from neighbouring Poland, the UK and the Czech Republic, state news service Belta reported. Protesters are “setting fire to the ground beneath their feet. We can’t allow that”, he said. He blamed foreign powers for disrupting internet access, which has been restricted in Minsk and other cities since Sunday.
Opposition groups united behind Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old former teacher, when other challengers were either jailed or kept off the ballot, leading to unprecedented protests against Lukashenko’s rule even before the vote. The stay-at-home mother, who ran after her husband Sergei, a political blogger, was detained and barred from the race, has called the crackdown “unacceptable”. Her election ally Maria Kalesnikava said the opposition was ready for long-term protest.
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