Published 01:38 IST, October 11th 2020
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko visits opposition activists in Minsk prison
Belarus has witnessed mass protests for two months now. The protestors are opposing the official election results which gave the Belarusian leader a sixth term.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko visited a prison to hold talks with detained opposition activists on Saturday, October 10. The activists have been jailed for challenging his re-election which they criticise as unfair on grounds of a manipulated election that has triggered massive protests in Belarus.
According to the reports, Lukashenko spoke to the opposition activists for over four hours at a prison in the capital city, Minsk. The office of the President is reported to have said in a statement that “the goal of the president was to hear everyone's opinion."
11 jailed activists attend meeting
As per reports, 11 jailed activists attended the meeting which included several members of the opposition's Coordination Council and Viktor Babariko, the former head of a major Russia-owned bank.
Lukashenko's landslide victory in the August 9 parliamentary elections has sparked massive public outrage against the Belarusian leader's 26-year authoritarian rule. The protesters have also criticised the Belarusian President for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic troubles.
Belarus has witnessed mass protests for two months now. The protestors are opposing the official election results which gave the Belarusian leader a sixth term with 80% of vote share.
Belarus' main opposition challenger Tsikhanouskaya has urged the United States to “stop blatant human rights violations and cynical disregard for human dignity right in the middle of Europe.” She accused Lukashenko of playing dirty politics and stealing the election and asked the UN to condemn the crackdown on protesters. The Belarusian leader also asked the UN to send a monitoring mission to Belarus and call a special session of its Human Rights Council to discuss the situation in the country.
Protestors are demanding a free and fair election and an end of state-sponsored violence. People in large numbers have taken to streets to protest against the outcome of the recently concluded election, following which Lukashenko has ordered a crackdown on demonstrators.
Inputs/Image: AP
Updated 01:38 IST, October 11th 2020