Thousands of people took to the streets in Belarus in new protests against the head of state Alexander Lukashenko. They marched through the capital Minsk and other cities in the country today – despite new threats of violence from the authorities. There were again arrests.
The Wesna Human Rights Center listed the names of about ten people arrested in the early afternoon. Observers in Minsk estimated the number of participants at the start of the demonstrations at more than 15,000. A large number of security forces were deployed, especially in the capital.
It is now the tenth consecutive protest weekend. The actions on Sundays are particularly popular. The security forces had recently tightened their pace against demonstrators. The Interior Ministry openly threatened the use of firearms and live ammunition. The opposition always calls for peaceful protests and condemns violence.
