Tens of thousands of Belarusians rallied again in Minsk for the 22nd day of protests against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Sunday over a disputed presidential election that has given Lukashenka a new six-year term.
BELARUSIANS GATHERED NEAR PRESIDENT ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO’S RESIDENCE
Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the first and the only president of Belarus, turns 66 on August 30.
The anti-government protesters marched down Independence Avenue to the Victory Park and the Hero City Minsk monument and further on to the Independence Palace, or the Belarusian president’s residence.
The gatherings were peaceful and did not attack law enforcement. However, at least 140 people were detained, the Russian TASS News Agency quoted the country’s interior ministry as saying.
Protests broke out after Lukashenko was declared the winner in the Aug. 9 presidential elections. Opposition candidates, however, accused the administration of rigging the vote.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who came in a distant second, left after the elections for Lithuania “for the sake of her children.”
NATO and European leaders have urged Lukashenko to launch a dialogue with the opposition and respect the fundamental human rights of the public