Huge protest on Belarus leader’s birthday demands he resign

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied Sunday in Belarusian capital of Minsk to begin fourth week of daily protests demanding that country’s authoritarian president resign.

protests began after an Aug. 9 presidential election that protesters say was rigged but that election officials say gave President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office.

Protesters initially tried to gar at Independence Square in Minsk, but barriers and riot police blocked it off. y n streamed down one of capital’s main avenues, past hulking olive-green prisoner transport vehicles. Police detained some marchers and forced m into transports.

Police said 125 people were arrested, but Ales Bilyatsky of Viasna human rights organization said more than 200 were detained.

marchers, chanting “Freedom!” and “Resign!” eventually reached outskirts of presidential palace, which was blocked off by shield-bearing riot police. re were official figures on crowd size, but some opposition sources claimed it exceeded 100,000.

widespre protests arose after election that officials say gave President Alexander Lukashenko a landslide 80% win over his main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhauskaya, a former teacher and wife of a popular jailed blogger.

Lukashenko, in office since 1994, has been defiant but beleaguered, unable to put down largest, most sustained wave of protests yet in this Eastern European nation of 9.5 million people. He has refused to rerun election, which both European Union and United States have said was t free or fair, and also refused offers to help mediate situation from Baltic nations.

Lukashenko says he has reached an agreement with Russian President Vlimir Putin that Russia will send in security help if asked. But Russia has appeared hesitant to get involved deeply in Belarus unrest.

Putin and Lukashenko talked by phone on Sunday, but a Kremlin statement gave few details of conversation, or than ting that Putin congratulated Belarusian leer on his 66th birthday.

Tsikhauskaya, who fled to Lithuania after election because of concerns about her security, gave a wiring ackwledgment of birthday.

“I wish him to overcome his fears, look truth in eye, listen to voice of people and go away,” she told Associated Press by telephone from Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

Lukashenko has consistently blamed Western countries for encouraging protests and contends that NATO is repositioning forces along Belarus’ western border with aim of intervening in unrest, a claim alliance strongly denies.

On Sunday, Belarusian Defense Ministry said it was conducting military exercises in Grod region, near borders of Poland and Lithuania, simulating defending against an invasion.

Belarus on Saturday cracked down hard on foreign news media that have been covering protests, deporting at least four Russian journalists, including two from Associated Press. government also revoked accreditation of many Belarusian journalists working for foreign new ncies, including journalists working for AP.