Tag: Alexander Lukashenko

Belarusian police fire stun grenades at protesters as opposition threaten national strike

Belarusian police used stun grenades against protesters on Sunday as tens of thousands of people headed towards Independence Palace in the capital Minsk demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko resign. Protesters carrying the red-and-white flags of the Belarusian opposition movement scattered as loud bangs and flashes lit up the city’s streets after nightfall, videos showed. The… Read More Belarusian police fire stun grenades at protesters as opposition threaten national strike

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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sworn in for sixth term amid protests

Ignoring calls for an end to his 26-year grip on power, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus was sworn in for a sixth term on Wednesday after an election that the opposition and several foreign governments say was rigged. The ceremony would normally have been publicised as a major state occasion but was instead held without… Read More Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko sworn in for sixth term amid protests

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Belarusian police detain hundreds of protesters in Minsk

Belarusian police detained hundreds of protesters in central Minsk on Saturday, a witness said, as around 2,000 people marched through the city demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko step down. Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, has been rocked by mass street protests since Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in an August 9… Read More Belarusian police detain hundreds of protesters in Minsk

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Russian President Vladimir Putin lends $1.5billion to embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed a $1.5 billion loan on Belarus on Monday in a gesture of support for its leader Alexander Lukashenko, who flew to entreat his patron for help after five weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation. A day after more than 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Minsk with chants… Read More Russian President Vladimir Putin lends $1.5billion to embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko

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Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich denounces Belarus government following detention of opposition activist Maxim Znak

Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich accused the Belarus authorities of terrorising their own people on Wednesday as another opposition politician was detained by masked men in plain clothes. Maxim Znak was the latest figure to be seized in a systematic campaign by the government of President Alexander Lukashenko to round up the leaders of a… Read More Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich denounces Belarus government following detention of opposition activist Maxim Znak

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Belarus opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova detained following foiled deportation attempt

Prominent opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova was detained by Belarusian authorities on Tuesday, a border official said, after thwarting what a Ukrainian government minister described as an attempt to expel her from Belarus. The Interfax Ukraine news agency said the activist had deliberately ripped up her passport so that Ukrainian border officials would not be able… Read More Belarus opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova detained following foiled deportation attempt

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European Union to impose sanctions on 31 senior officials over controversial presidential election

The European Union aims to impose economic sanctions on 31 senior Belarus officials including the country’s interior minister by mid-September, three EU diplomats said, in response to an August 9 election that the West says was rigged. Almost a month into mass demonstrations against the outcome of the contest, in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed… Read More European Union to impose sanctions on 31 senior officials over controversial presidential election

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Belarusian opposition activist Olga Kovalkova leaves country following arrest

Belarusian opposition activist Olga Kovalkova arrived in the Polish capital Warsaw on Saturday, saying she had been forced by authorities in her homeland to leave the country. Kovalkova, a senior figure in the Belarusian opposition Coordination Council, was sentenced to 10 days in jail on August 25. She said on Saturday that authorities had told… Read More Belarusian opposition activist Olga Kovalkova leaves country following arrest

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