Arrests as 10,000 women march in Minsk скачать в хорошем качестве

Arrests as 10,000 women march in Minsk

(12 Sep 2020) About 10-thousand women marched noisily through the centre of the Belarusian capital on Saturday, beating pots and pans and shouting for the resignation of the country's authoritarian president in the 35th consecutive day of large protests. Many carried portraits of Maria Kolesnikova, a leader of the opposition Coordination Council that is seeking new elections, who was jailed this week after police tried to force her out of the country. Kolesnikova's lawyer says she was driven to the border with Ukraine, but tore up her passport and refused to leave Belarus. Others at the protest carried placards reading "You painted my heart with blue pain," referring to President Alexander Lukashenko's claim that some women had painted themselves to appear to have been bruised by police beatings. Lukashenko refuses to meet with the council, and most of its leaders have been detained or have left the country. "They're grabbing everyone in sight. Do they think they can lock up everybody?" asked one woman protester on Saturday. Protests began Aug. 9 after a presidential election that officials say handed Lukashenko a sixth term in office with overwhelming 80% support. Opponents allege the election results were rigged. The protests are the largest and most widespread of Lukashenko's 26 years in power. Sunday demonstrations in Minsk have repeatedly brought out crowds of more than 100,000; protests have broken out in other major cities and strikes have hit some of the country's major state-owned industries. Lukashenko met Saturday with top officials of the country's security agencies. Throughout the unrest, he has rejected any concessions, has repeatedly accused Belarus' western neighbours of preparing an overthrow and has made shows of aggressive defiance including striding with an automatic rifle across the grounds of his residence. As the protests persist, questions loom about possible action by Russia to prop up the regime. Lukashenko is to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, in their first face-to-face contact since the unrest began. Putin has said he stands ready to send police to Belarus if protests turn violent, stoking fears that Moscow could move to annex its neighbour. The countries have a union agreement envisaging close political, economic, and military ties, although Lukashenko has repeatedly expressed concerns that Russia wants to absorb Belarus entirely. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...