Belarus protests: Thousands join opposition march, dozens arrested

The situation in the Belarus capital, Minsk, is getting grim as tens of thousands joined an opposition rally against the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, who retained his position with a landslide win. Reportedly, around 125 protestors were detained by the police for taking part in the opposition rally that took place on August 30. Amid the ongoing unrest in Belarus over disputed elections, Independence Square in the centre of Minsk had to be sealed with metal barriers and guarded by security forces.

As per several reports, the Belarusian interior ministry also warned the citizens not to participate in the anti-government demonstrations. All the protestors who joined the anti-government rally had just one objective and it was to show Lukashenko that the people of Belarus are against him. Lukashenko, who won a sixth term in the elections with 80.23 percent of the vote, celebrated his 66th birthday on August 30.

As per reports, the pro-democracy protestors rallying against the leader said that his time in power was up. In order to send a strong message to the leader, protestors waved the opposition's red and white flag and all of them were seen chanting "Leave” despite the presence of a heavy security force.

On August 23 and 30, hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets of Belarus to protest against Lukashenko, who has been labeled as Europe's last dictator. As per the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Belarusian authorities also stripped the press accreditation of many journalists who were covering the anti-government protests. The situation in Belarus has become so grim that some foreign journalists have also been deported.

Read: Belarus Revokes Accreditation, Deports Foreign Journalists Covering Protests

Read: Belarus' Opposition Leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya To Address UNSC On September 4

EU agrees sanctions against 20 Belarus officials

On August 27, EU foreign ministers sought sanctions against Belarus in an attempt to pressurize Lukashenko to hold new elections as the country's opposition appealed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for support and assistance. In an effort to support the ongoing mass protests against Lukashenko, EU ministers are considering travel bans and asset freezes on up to 20 people responsible for a clampdown on protestors two weeks after an election they say was rigged.

The Belarus presidential election that took place on August 9 sparked mass protests against Lukashenko. The leader’s opponents have called him out for rigging the votes to extend his rule in the country, however, he has denied all the accusations levied on him. Lukashenko criticized the recent anti-government protests, which as per him are receiving support from Western counties. The authoritarian leader ordered the army to defend and protect western Belarus which he termed as a pearl.

(Image credit: AP)

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