On Sunday, thousands of pro-democracy protesters flooded Minsk in another wave of protests demanding Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko resign following allegations of election rigging and human rights abuses.
The protestors gathered in Minsk’s Independence Square, draped in red and white flags. A moment of silence was held for victims of the Lukashenko regime, only to be interrupted by authorities over a loudspeaker, saying “This demonstration is illegal, go home.”
Protestors refused to yield to the regime and continued demonstrations. This is week two in a series of large protests that have engulfed the country since Aug. 9, when Lukashenko declared himself ‘victorious’ with 80% of the vote.
There were fears that regime cronies would violently break up protests as they did last weekend, which resulted in thousands of detainments and injuries in clashes with police.
This is a result of Lukashenko’s hardliner stance, proclaiming all unnamed “foreign-backed revolutionaries” would be crushed.