As tensions continue to rise in Belarus following its disputed elections, Belarusian authorities have arrested two leading opposition activists allegedly helping to spearhead protests in the country demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko.
A day after thousands of people defied the army’s orders to march against President Lukashenko, the opposition’s Coordination Council said police in the capital, Minsk, detained its members Olga Kovalkova and Sergei Dylevsky on Monday. City Police confirmed their detention.
The president, who has called the protesters “rats”, said he ordered police to put down any demonstrations in Minsk last week. But tens of thousands of people still rallied in the Belarus capital on Sunday, despite army warnings, with calls for Lukashenko to resign after the disputed election results, a post-election crackdown and a heavy military presence in the city.
“Today, we can’t sit back and watch how protests are being held by these sacred places under the flags that fascists organized the mass killings of Belarusians, Russians, Jewish people, and other nationalities,” said Defense Minister Victor Khrenin. “We cannot allow this. We categorically warn any violation of peace and order in such places — you will have the army to deal with now, not the police.”
“Our resistance is a marathon, the regime cannot deal with this marathon, but we can. We have the will, strength, and support of each other. We should all write, go out, speak out, stand up, complain, be uncooperative, boycott, not agree, and keep it up!” announced opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova.
Meanwhile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate who fled to Lithuania after the election and claimed to have won from 60 to 70% of the vote, said Saturday that Belarusians must “struggle for their rights” and not be distracted by Lukashenko’s claims that the country was under military threat.
The protests have been the biggest challenge yet to Lukashenko’s 26-year rule. He was declared the winner of the August 9 election that was marred by allegations of fraud and condemned by the EU.
