Belarus: Minsk police station attacked by protesters as unrest continues

In Belarus, a police station in the central district of Minsk came under attack on Sunday, October 25. As per the city’s police chief, protesters threw stones at police service vehicles and officers at the scene had to take drastic measures to repel the protesters with physical force. Two officers are reported to have been injured during the incident.

Read: EU Awards Human Rights Prize To Belarus Opposition

Protesters repelled by Police

According to Minsk police chief Ivan Kubrakov, police actions prevented the station from being overrun and the officers managed to detain 120 people that were allegedly part of the unrests as well as from other parts of the city.

Since August, Belarus has been gripped by mass anti-government movements directed at the country’s authoritarian leader President Alexander Lukashenko. Mass protests erupted on August 9 when the results of the country’s presidential elections were announced which declared Lukashenko victory with 80 percent of the votes and extension to his 26-year rule in Belarus.

Read: Over 50,000 March In Belarus Against Authoritarian Leader

Election support staff and protesters have claimed that the elections were not fair and were rigged by Lukashenko, following which hundreds and thousands of people have taken the streets and demanded that Lukashenko step down. In response, Belarus’ police have acted violently in its attempts to suppress the protests and has even been called out for committing human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests and wrongful detention.

Many international leaders have extended their support to the protests in Belarus and have refused to acknowledge Lukashenko as the country’s legitimate leader. However, Russia remains one of Lukashenko’s last remaining foreign allies. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and the European Union have announced sanctions against Lukashenko and other high-ranking Belarusian officials.

(With ANI inputs, Image AP)

Read: Belarus Activists Protest Despite Govt Clampdown

Read: Belarus: Protesters Keep Up Push For President's Resignation