2020 brought an unprecedented scene of protests in Belarus, after a presidential poll showed longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko getting 80 percent of the vote
One was a theater director, another worked at an oil refinery, but both have fled repression in Belarus after joining mass protests against an August election widely seen as rigged and are now refugees in neighboring Latvia
Every week, lines of people gather overnight outside a detention center in Minsk, hoping to deliver packets of food and clothing for loved ones being held inside when the gates open in the morning.
Dramatic video of a Minsk taxi driver saving a fleeing anti-government protester from the clutches of Belarusian police went viral on social media in September. Now, in an interview with Current Time, Yauhen says he’s been horrified by the actions of security forces defending the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and an election widely seen as rigged. He says he knew the risks in helping the protester escape, but wasn’t afraid
Security forces blocked the route of an anti-government march in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on October 25, and fired stun grenades at the crowd
Alexander Lukashenko has held power in Belarus since 1994, ruling the country under a system of tight control inherited from the former Soviet Union and largely dependent on Russia
Dozens attended what have become known as the weekly women’s marches in Minsk on October 17. The protesters demanded a new presidential election and freedom for political prisoners, including Maryya Kalesniva, a key member of the opposition who is facing charges of undermining state security
The protests against the disputed electoral victory of longtime Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko have roused a sense of Belarusian nationalism, and with it, the desire to learn and use the Belarusian language
Since anti-government protests began in Belarus, the number of people who have been the victims of retaliation for publicly coming out against the government of longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko is uncountable
The secretive inauguration of Alyaksandr Lukashenka for a sixth term as Belarusian president was followed by an outbreak of spontaneous protests across the country – and a brutal crackdown by security forces