In the last week and a half, thousands of protesters have filled the streets of Minsk and other cities in Belarus, voicing their anger over the widely disputed results of a presidential election. President Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus for the past 26 years, was declared the winner with 80 percent of the vote, giving him a sixth term in office. The main opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, fled to Lithuania shortly after the election, as protesters on the street were beaten by riot police and arrested by the thousands. In the following days, crowds attended some of the largest protests in the country’s history, with people demanding the resignation of Lukashenko, the release of political prisoners, and an end to police brutality. A number of groups of workers have staged strikes in support of the protests as well, building some momentum. President Lukashenko has not ceded any ground, and government prosecutors have now opened criminal cases against opposition leaders.
Anger and Protest Over a Presidential Election in Belarus
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Read morePeople take part in a protest against the presidential election results demanding the resignation of the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, and the release of political prisoners, in Minsk, Belarus, on August 16, 2020. #
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Read moreThe Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, casts his ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk on August 9, 2020. #
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Read moreSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate for the presidential elections, poses for photographers as she casts her ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk on August 9, 2020. #
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Read morePeople argue with police during a rally after the Belarusian presidential election in Minsk on August 9, 2020. #
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Read morePolice use a water cannon against demonstrators during a post-election rally on August 9, 2020. #
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Read moreA protester speaks to police as they block the road during a rally in Minsk on August 9, 2020. #
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Read morePolice use batons to beat protesters during a demonstration following the presidential election in Minsk on August 10, 2020. #
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Read moreProtesters carry a wounded demonstrator during clashes with police in Minsk, on August 10, 2020. #
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Read moreIn this photo taken on August 10, 2020, police officers kick a demonstrator during a protest over the disputed presidential election in Minsk. #
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Read moreA protester raises a clenched fist with a white ribbon, a symbol of protest, as other people gather to pay their respects to a protester who died amid clashes with the police, in Minsk, on August 11, 2020. #
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Read morePeople greet each other waving flowers and white balloons, gathering in a street in Minsk to protest against the results of the country's presidential election, on August 13, 2020. #
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Read morePeople wave flowers as they protest against the results of the country's presidential election during sunset in Minsk on August 13, 2020. #
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Read moreA woman holds a leaflet reading "Tikhanovskaya is our President" during a protest rally against police violence during recent rallies in Minsk on August 13, 2020. #
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Read moreEmployees of the Minsk Automobile Plant applaud as they attend a rally to express their solidarity with opposition supporters, who accuse strongman Alexander Lukashenko of falsifying the polls, on August 14, 2020. #
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Read moreA demonstrator makes a heart gesture near the Government House in Independence Square during a protest rally against police violence in central Minsk on August 14, 2020. #
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Read moreBelarusian law enforcement officers guard government buildings during a protest against police violence in Minsk on August 14, 2020. #
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Read moreTwo women hug and kiss a Belarusian law enforcement officer in Minsk, during a rally against police violence on August 14, 2020. #
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Read moreThousands of Belarusian opposition supporters rally in the center of Minsk on August 16, 2020. #
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Read moreA demonstrator waves an old Belarusian national flag as he stand atop the Fountain of Independence in Minsk, during an opposition rally on August 16, 2020. #
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Read moreDemonstrators take part in a protest against the presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on August 16, 2020. #
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Read moreA girl holds a balloon among protest posters during an opposition demonstration in central Minsk on August 16, 2020. #
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Read moreWorkers with handmade posters reading "Go away!" march toward the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant where the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, addressed employees in Minsk on August 17, 2020. #
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Read moreOpposition supporters protest against disputed presidential election results in Independence Square in Minsk on August 18, 2020. #
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Read moreWorkers of the Grodno Azot Plant listen to a speaker during a strike in Grodno, 246 kilometers west of Minsk, Belarus, on August 19, 2020. #
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Read moreBelarusian opposition supporters use phone lights and wave old Belarusian national flags during a protest in Independence Square in Minsk on August 19, 2020. #
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Read moreBelarusian opposition supporters hold flowers and flash victory signs during a protest in Victory Square in Minsk, Belarus, on August 20, 2020. Demonstrators continued to take to the streets of the Belarusian capital and other cities, keeping up their push for the resignation of the nation's authoritarian leader. #
Sergei Grits / AP
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