Human rights activists say that the Belarusian authorities have detained more than 20 people in the latest wave of arrests and continued to crack down on dissidents a year after the controversial presidential election.
Belarus Shocked by the protest On August 9, 2020, dictator Alexander Lukashenko (Alexander Lukashenko) voted for a re-election for a sixth term. The opposition and the West considered this a scam. Lukashenko responded to the demonstrations. The largest of these demonstrations attracted 200,000 people and carried out a large-scale suppression. More than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten by the police.
In recent months, the Belarusian authorities have increased their pressure, arresting dozens of independent journalists, activists, and all those deemed unfaithful. The Viasna Human Rights Center said on Thursday that more than 20 people have been detained in six cities across the country in the past two days.
Andrey Dmitriyeu, one of Lukashenko’s challengers in the presidential election, was detained for questioning after searching his Minsk apartment on Thursday. Dmitriyeu was released later in the day, and it is not clear whether he faces any charges.
Former Belarusian ambassador to Slovenia, Ihar Lyashchenya, was arrested on Thursday on charges of “organizing a large-scale riot” and carries a maximum sentence of 8 years in prison.
When the post-election protests broke out, Lyashichenya publicly criticized the suppression of demonstrators and was stripped of his post by Lukashenko.
Those arrested also include lawyers, political and environmental activists who are part of the Skhod (Parliament) citizenship initiative to encourage national dialogue.
Stsiapan Latypau is an activist. He stabbed his neck with a pen in court in June to protest political repression. He faced a hearing on Thursday. The prosecutor asked the court to accuse him of violating public order for eight and a half years, resisting the police and Fraud.
Latypau, who has been in prison since September, described to the court how the police beat him during detention and used plastic bags to choke him.
“I was crying and having trouble breathing in the plastic bag, they just laughed,” he said.
“The masked men beat me with their hands, feet and batons – they beat me at the same time, then one after another. They covered my ears with their fists and palms and beat me, it felt like a grenade exploded in my head.”
As the authorities continue to act to eliminate any signs of dissent, the protests have subsided, and opposition leaders have either been sentenced to prison or forced to leave the country.
In the ongoing crackdown, dozens of women dressed in white and holding red flowers representing the colors of the opposition’s red and white flags marched in the Belarusian capital on Thursday in a silent protest.
