Belarusian protests against Lukashenko continue, dozens of people have been arrested

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The wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko lasted for 50 days. Belarusian police detained dozens of protesters during a march in Minsk on Sunday, and the security forces in the city of Hormel used tear gas on the demonstrators. Lukashenko claimed to have won the country’s presidential election more than a month ago.

Protests in Minsk, Hormel, and other cities occurred after Lukashenko took office as president in a secret ceremony on September 23. Lukashenko’s secret inauguration prompted EU member states and the United States to issue a statement that they did not recognize his legitimacy.

According to a report by the Belarusian Language Group of Radio Free Europe/Radio Freedom, the spokesperson of the main Ministry of the Interior of the Hormel Region Executive Committee said that the use of technical devices caused huge explosions and flashes. The security forces used tear gas because some people acted inappropriately.

Tens of thousands of people waved red and white opposition party flags and demonstrated in Minsk. This is the latest demonstration since Lukashenko announced his victory in the presidential election on August 9. The protesters are planning to hold a people's inauguration to support the exiled opposition candidate Svyatrana Tshanusskaya, who is now in Lithuania. Tshanusskaya joined the presidential campaign at the last moment after her husband was imprisoned. She said that she won the August 9 election with 60% to 70% of the vote. She called on Belarusians to hold a demonstration on September 27th to strive for the goal of a new and honest election and to hold a formal and legal inauguration.

On September 27, in Minsk, dozens of protesters were surrounded by riot police and forced into police cars. According to reports, there are also demonstrations in other places in Belarus including Mogilev, Hrodna, Lida and Hormel. The day before the protests, security forces in Minsk arrested more than 100 protesters during a women’s march.

Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in the past seven weeks, demanding that Lukashenko step down and hold new elections. Lukashenko directed a brutal post-election suppression operation in response to the protests, including thousands of arrests, beatings and other abuses of peaceful protesters, as well as expulsion of foreign journalists.