MINSK, BELARUS (BNO NEWS) — Dozens of people were arrested on Wednesday for taking part in an unauthorized protest against the government’s economic policies in the Belarusian capital.
RIA Novosti reported that police detained at least 20 people shortly after the protest began in central Minsk. Then, they allegedly started grabbing everyone who happened to be around – both protesters and passersby.
Riot police started pushing the protesters from central Freedom Square to nearby streets. According to different estimates, between several hundred and several thousand people took part in the protest.
Last week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned that no strikes or unauthorized protests will be allowed over the recently-imposed export ban on fuel and other goods.
“The so-called ‘willful people’ in Minsk use social networks and the Internet to encourage strikes,” said Lukashenko. “I’ll be keeping an eye on them and then will give them such a punch that they won’t have time to flee across the border.”
The Belarusian leader was referring to the protests that took place on June 11 and 12 on the Belarusian-Polish border which were suppressed by security forces. Some demonstrators were arrested and fined.
On June 13, Belarus and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began discussions for agreeing in a new program in order to achieve financial stability in the country. Belarus is seeking an IMF loan that could be granted depending on the balance of payments and other factors.
Belarus’ financial crisis worsened last May when the National Bank of Belarus (NBRB) set the official exchange rate of the Belarusian Ruble against the U.S. dollar at Br 4,930 per $1, a devaluation of over 50 percent.
President Lukashenko has been accused of repressing opposition and activists in the past. On May 27, the United States announced it will pursue new sanctions against those responsible for the violent crackdown of protesters.
The European Union on Tuesday strengthened its sanctions previously imposed on Belarus due to alleged human rights violations, lack of democracy, and the rule-of-law situation.
The European Council decided to impose a new arms embargo and an export ban on materials that might be used for repressing citizens. In addition, further names were added to the list of individuals subjected to the EU travel restrictions and assets freeze.
The sanctions stemmed from the persecution of protesters and opposition candidates following the December 2010 presidential elections in which President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected amidst claims of fraud by the opposition.
More than 600 citizens of Belarus were detained after the December 19 demonstration in central Minsk following the reelection of Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 15 years and is leading the country for a fourth term after amassing almost 80 percent of the vote.
The United States and European Union have condemned the crackdown on the opposition in Belarus and imposed sanctions against Lukashenko and more than 160 top Belarusian officials.
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