Belarusian leader set to visit Russia as protests continue

Belarusian leader set to visit Russia as protests continue

SeattlePI.com

Published

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarusian authorities detained scores of demonstrators Friday while seeking to end more than a month of protests against the country's authoritarian president, who is set to visit Russia to help shore up his hold on power after 26 years in office.

Protesters in Belarus have spent a month denouncing the results of the country’s Aug. 9 presidential election as rigged and demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko from the sixth term he won. Facing criticism from the West, Lukashenko has worked to cement ties with his main ally and sponsor, Russia.

He is set to head to Russia on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Some expect Belarusian authorities to take tougher actions against protesters ahead of the meeting.

At least nine protesters were detained Friday outside a court in Belarus's capital, Minsk, as they rallied in solidarity with industrial workers defending their right to launch a strike. Police detained more protesters in the cities of Vitebsk, Gomel and Baranovichi, according to the Viasna human rights center in Minsk.

“The threats and detentions come before the protests set for the weekend,” the head of the center, Ales Bialitski, said. “Lukashenko would very much like to show the Kremlin that the protests are abating and he controls the situation, but so far repressions have had the opposite effect.”

The post-election protests have attracted the biggest crowds on Sundays, when up to 200,000 people have flooded the streets of the capital. Another protest is set for this Sunday.

After a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in the initial days after the vote drew international outrage and swelled the opposition ranks, Belarusian authorities have sought to...

Full Article