We use cookies to improve our service for you. You can find more information in our data protection declaration. With regards to Russia and the alliance between Moscow and Minsk, he warned that the EU was not looking to expand its influence. Alexander Lukashenko declared a landslide victory in presidential polls on August 9.
Lukashenko's opponents accuse him of rigging the vote to secure a sixth term after 26 years in power. After the results were announced, Belarusians took to the streets to demand an election rerun monitored by independent observers. Security forces responded with a brutal crackdown.
The violence, which Lukashenko blamed on foreign interference, was widely condemned internationally, prompting the EU to prepare sanctions against implicated Belarusian officials. In the first four days of protests, at least two people died and almost 7, were detained. But rather than peter out, rallies calling for Lukashenko's resignation have grown.
Thousands of protesters have joined daily marches demanding the release of political prisoners and an end to police violence. More than , people took part in a "March for Freedom" on August 16 — one of the biggest ever shows of opposition to Lukashenko's rule.
Protesters chanted "Leave! Lukashenko scrapped the flag when he came to power, and it has since become a symbol of opposition to him. Lukashenko's supporters held a rally of their own on August 16, although their numbers were dwarfed by the opposition's march.
