#Belarus. Happening right now in #Minsk. The video shows the current scale of the march. The interior ministry reported that at least 250 people have already been detained. Despite all arrests and repressions, people are on the streets again and again - also, all over the country
Regional cities have become important of the protests as well. Thousands of people came out to the streets in #Brest today. All major cities but also smaller ones are protesting today
*important centres of the protests. And here's today's march in Mahilou, where thousands of people came out to the streets. This is to show that people are expressing their discontent all across #Belarus. Dozens of people were brutally detained in the regions as well
More than 100,000 people are on the streets of #Minsk,as @nashaniva estimates. But thousands people are also joining from various neighbourhoods. No,it doesn't stop in spite of all brutality. #Lukashenko's security forces resources are not without limits,it's definitely expensive
In Zhodzina, a police officer hit a woman who was filming. She fell down. He then attacked someone else, I assume. To me, it's a sign of nervousness and stress. At the same time, Zhodzina is much smaller then #Minsk, he has neighbours and will not remain anonymous
For the first time since the post-election protests,security forces have used stun grenades against people near Drazdy,where top officials live. It happened just a moment ago in #Minsk. In #Brest, police used water cannons against peaceful protesters. Violence intensifies.
In #Minsk,an unidentified man (!) fired into the air to disperse protesters. The interior ministry denies that shots were made,but the video confirms it. More information is coming soon - mobile internet is disrupted, only wifi is more or less possible to use.
Interior ministry: 400 people have been detained.But this number will be higher - detentions continue right now in #Minsk. The ministry at first denied an officer shot in the air,but finally confirmed. It still denies stun grenades were used in Drazdy,but multiple sources confirm
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#Belarus On that day three years ago, our cities and towns protested against rigged elections. The regime resorted to violence, torture and shooting. Peaceful protesters died on the street and in detention. What I learned about myself and my nation after the past three years ⬇️
While some commentators prefer to undermine our fight, this peaceful and massive revolution is the most critical event in the recent history of Belarus. All strata of society said no to the archaic regime. We showed unity, resilience & creativity. I finally understood my nation.
The explosion had not one but many reasons. None of it has been solved. Brutal repression cleaned the streets after several months. Yet the king is naked. Pensioners, factory workers, techies and even his own circle don't necessarily support Lukashenka so widely as he claimed.
#Belarus The current Consitution offers these two scenarios:
First, if Lukashenka suddenly dies, the chairperson of the Council of the Republic, Natalia Kachanava, will perform his duties until the new elections. The Council of the Republic is the upper house of the parliament.
Secondly, if Lukashenka is killed, a state of emergency or martial law will be declared, while state institutions and officials will follow the decisions of the Security Council. At the same time, the same Kachanava will preside over the meetings of the Security Council.
Both scenarios can create a crisis. The chairperson of the Council of the Republic has no real power to influence the government and the lower house of the parliament. She became the "second" person due to the recent changes in the Constitution. Lukashenka might trust her.
#Belarus On May 5, Lukashenka already had problems with his health. Listen to his voice when he addressed the room. There was no bandage on his hand, so we can assume that it appeared later, as it was seen on May 9 in Moscow. Perhaps his health got worse by then.
Later on May 5, prime minister Raman Halouchanka gave a speech at the ceremony dedicated to Victory Day at the Palace of the Republic. On May 9, Lukashenka travelled to Moscow but felt too weak to walk with other rulers and had to leave immediately after the parade.
If he had a cold or a virus, how would the usually very cautious Putin shake hands with Lukashenka, who felt unwell? Showing that he has so many allies was more critical for Putin than potentially getting an infection from Lukashenka? What about other leaders in Moscow?
I'm grateful to @ZelenskyyUa for mentioning the support for #Ukraine among Belarusians & that they keep fighting against the regime. I want to address one thing: the Ukrainian President said there were no victims. Not true. Security forces shot peaceful protesters on the streets.
Aliaksandr Taraikouski was shot dead on August 10, 2020. I was not far away from Pushkin Square. All of us heard the shooting. What a cynical & deliberate murder of a man who wanted to show the police that he was unarmed & went out to protest against the rigged election.
On August 11, 2020, Hienadz Shutau was shot in Brest. He ended up in a coma and died later.
On August 9, Aliaksandr Vikhor was detained in Homiel. He was beaten at a police station and died soon afterwards. The investigator said he got overdosed even though his blood was clean.
This is sickening but can't be ignored. I'm sharing excerpts from the @UNHumanRights report on violence in #Belarus during mass protests in 2020:
OHCHR documented 6 cases of rape committed in police vehicles and in police stations throughout Minsk against four men and two boys.
In one case, a man was raped in the Okrestino detention centre /.../. Using a baton, officers ruptured the victim’s rectum, causing heavy bleeding, and were laughing at him instead of providing first aid, covering his mouth as he was screaming from the excruciating pain.
In another case, security officials, while beating a 16-year-old boy /.../ inserted a stun gun into his mouth and later in a police station a police baton into his mouth, badly injuring the victim, resulting in his being sent for intensive care hospitalization.
#Belarus The sudden visit of the Russian MoD Sergei Shoigu caused another round of threads about Russia's immense pressure on Lukashenka who refuses to obey. I’ll be boring and stick to facts because there is little evidence of such pressure. Instead, we see an opposite trend ⬇️
First, Putin and Lukashenka hold regular & quite friendly meetings. They are very important for Lukashenka to show his elites that he has Putin’s support. Putin doesn’t seem to refuse a chance to meet.
Second, Russia supports Belarus financially & by providing various benefits.
Recently, the Russian Duma approved the bill law allowing Belarus to postpone debt payments for $1.4 billion. Russia also issued a new $1.74 billion loan. Belarus has access to the Russian market, infrastructure and especially ports, which is crucial because of Western sanctions.