About 100,000 demonstrators marched in the Belarusian capital calling for the authoritarian president’s ouster, some wearing cardboard crowns to ridicule him, on Sunday as the protests that have rocked the country marked their 50th consecutive day.
Protests also took place in nine other cities, underlining the wide extent of dismay and anger with President Alexander Lukashenko, who has stifled opposition and independent news media during 26 years in power.
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About 100,000 demonstrators marched in the Belarusian capital calling for the authoritarian president’s ouster, some wearing cardboard crowns to ridicule him, on Sunday as the protests that have rocked the country marked their 50th consecutive day.
Lukashenko has defied calls for him to step down and many prominent members of a council formed with the aim of arranging a transfer of power have been arrested or have fled the country. The protests have persisted despite the daily detentions of demonstrators.
Some of the estimated 100,000 people who braved rain and strong winds to march in a two-kilometer-long (over a mile-long) column wore crowns made of cardboard and bore placards calling him “the naked king.”
“Democracy is the power of the people. The entire people are stronger than one man,” she said.
People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
A demonstrator wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus attends an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
A man holds placard reading "Let my people go" during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
Police detain a demonstrator during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
The protest wave began after the Aug. 9 presidential election that officials said gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office with a crushing 80% of the vote. The opposition and some poll workers say the results were manipulated.
People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
Lukashenko has defied calls for him to step down and many prominent members of a council formed with the aim of arranging a transfer of power have been arrested or have fled the country. The protests have persisted despite the daily detentions of demonstrators.
The Interior Ministry said about 200 demonstrators were arrested throughout the country Sunday. Police and troops blocked off the center of the city with armored vehicles and water cannons.
Luksahenko stepped up his defiance this week by unexpectedly taking the oath of office for a new term in an unannounced ceremony, leading many to mock him as harboring royal-like pretensions.
Police detain a demonstrator during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
Some of the estimated 100,000 people who braved rain and strong winds to march in a two-kilometer-long (over a mile-long) column wore crowns made of cardboard and bore placards calling him “the naked king.”
Lukashenko's main election opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, praised protesters' determination and urged them not to let their energies flag.
“Today is the 50th day of our protest and the Belarusian people have again come out on the streets,” she said in a statement from Lithuania, where she went into exile after the election. “We have come to stop this regime and we will do this peacefully.”
People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
“Democracy is the power of the people. The entire people are stronger than one man,” she said.
Western countries have widely denounced the dubious election and the crackdown on protesters. The European Union and the United States are considering sanctions against Belarusian officials.
Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei on Saturday told the U.N. General Assembly that these expressions of concern are "nothing but attempts to bring chaos and anarchy to our country.”
A woman waves an old Belarusian national flag as she a police line in front of a WWII memorial, during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
People with old Belarusian national flags march during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
A demonstrator wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus attends an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
A man holds placard reading "Let my people go" during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)
Police detain a demonstrator during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have been protesting daily since the Aug. 9 presidential election. (AP PhotoTUT.by)