Protests in Belarus

Belarus is crushing dissent and blocking victims of rights abuses from seeking justice, the United Nations said Wednesday, hitting out at a "situation of complete impunity" in the country.

"The authorities' extensive and sustained actions to crush dissent and repress civil society, independent media and opposition groups, while at the same time shielding perpetrators, points to a situation of complete impunity in Belarus," UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said in a statement following the publication of a new report on the situation inside Belarus. — AFP

EU chief Charles Michel confirms Friday that Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko is himself not among the figures targeted on a new sanctions list.

"No Lukashenko is not on the current list, but of course we will follow the situation, we will follow developments," the president of the European Council says after meeting EU leaders. — AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Wednesday that any attempts to interfere in affairs of a sovereign country were "unacceptable" as the two discussed Belarus, the Kremlin said.

Putin noted Russia's "principled position" that "any attempts to interfere in internal affairs of a sovereign state and outside pressure on legitimate authorities are unacceptable," the Kremlin said late Wednesday.

The phone call between the two leaders came after Macron met Belarusian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius on Tuesday. — AFP

Belarus police on Wednesday arrested more than 140 people across the country as demonstrators took to the streets to protest strongman Alexander Lukashenko's secretive presidential inauguration, a rights group said.

The Viasna rights group released the names of more than 140 people it said were arrested in the capital Minsk, the southwestern city of Brest and elsewhere. Police used water cannon and tear gas in Minsk to break up the rallies.

On Wednesday evening, protests broke out in Minsk and a number of other cities as several thousand demonstrators took to the streets to protest Lukashenko's secretive presidential inauguration earlier in the day. — AFP

More than 100 people were on Sunday arrested in Belarus on the sidelines of opposition demonstrations against the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, according to rights group Viasna.

At least 80 were arrested in the capital Minsk, where tens of thousands held a peaceful march, according to Viasna, which added that at least 47 people were arrested elsewhere in the country, notably in Gomel, Brest and Grodno. —  AFP

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday denounced a bid by protest-hit Belarus to expel opposition leaders and said the United States was considering further sanctions.

Pompeo said the US was "deeply concerned" by the action Monday against Maria Kolesnikova, one of the most prominent opposition figures still in the country, and commended her "courage."

"The United States, in coordination with our partners and allies, is considering additional targeted sanctions to promote accountability for those involved in human rights abuses and repression in Belarus," he said in a statement — AFP

One of Belarus's leading opposition figures Maria Kolesnikova has been detained while trying to cross into Ukraine, Belarusian border officials said Tuesday. 

Kolesnikova was detained while attempting to cross overnight with two other members of the opposition's Coordination Council who were able to pass through to Ukraine, Anton Bychkovsky, a spokesman for the State Border Committee, told AFP.

She and the two other council members, press secretary Anton Rodnenkov and executive secretary Ivan Kravtsov, had disappeared on Monday. 

Bychkovsky said Rodnenkov and Kravtsov were able to cross into Ukraine, and the Ukrainian embassy in Minsk confirmed to AFP they were in the country. — AFP

Tens of thousands of Belarusian protesters marched in the capital Minsk on Sunday despite authorities arresting demonstrators and deploying armoured personnel carriers and water cannon.

Protesters from all walks of life,  from students to Catholic priests, came out on to the streets, an AFP correspondent reported from the scene. Many held red-and-white flags and placards while a band beat drums and played other instruments. — AFP

The UN Security Council is to hold an informal meeting on Friday on the situation in Belarus, this time in public and with the participation of the country's opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, diplomats said.

The videoconference session will focus on human rights in Belarus after the expulsion over the weekend of some foreign media and the refusal to grant accreditation to others, a diplomatic source said.

As with a previous discussion, held behind closed doors on August 18, the new meeting is being organized at the request of Estonia, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. It will be informal and its format allows members of the Security Council not to take part. — AFP

Germany will summon the Belarus ambassador after Minsk revoked accreditations of foreign media reporters covering the country's anti-government protests, a government source said on Sunday.

"The Belarus ambassador will be summoned to the foreign affairs ministry," the source said. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has already condemned the moves against the foreign media as "unacceptable". — AFP

Tens of protesters were arrested Sunday by riot police in Belarus during the latest mass opposition demonstration challenging the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, an AFP journalist reported.

The police, alongside masked and armed soldiers, were trying to disperse protesters gathered in the centre of Minsk for the third consecutive weekend. — AFP

Belarus must urgently set up a national dialogue including civil society to come out peacefully from the current crisis, the EU and Canada urged.

In a joint statement, EU Vice President Josep Borrell and Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said "it is now urgent to launch an open and constructive national dialogue."

"Only a peaceful and democratic process can de-escalate the situation and provide sustainable solutions," they added. — AFP

Tens of thousands of Belarusians joined an anti-government demonstration in central Minsk Sunday to protest President Alexander Lukashenko's claim to a sixth term in disputed elections, an AFP journalist said.

Waving red-and-white opposition flags, protesters demanded Lukashenko's resignation and chanted "freedom", in a gathering that local media reported on Telegram channels had amassed crowds of more than 100,000 people. — AFP

The United Nations Security Council held a discussion on Belarus Tuesday in which members were urged to do everything they can to stop the crisis from escalating.

Estonia and the United States requested the dialogue, which was held during a closed-door meeting on Yemen, under a portion of the session reserved for discussion of "any other business."

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told the 15-member Council that it "has a key responsibility in the prevention of violent conflict and mass atrocities," according to a statement. — AFP

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday accused the opposition of attempting to seize power in the wake of mass protests against disputed presidential elections in which he claimed victory and a sixth term.

During a meeting of his security council, Lukashenko said the opposition's creation of a Coordination Council was "an attempt to seize power," according to the state-run Belta news agency.

"They demand nothing more and nothing less: to transfer power to them," Lukashenko said. — AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to foster "calm and dialogue" in Belarus, where protests are growing against President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election, the Elysee Palace said.

In a telephone call early Tuesday, Macron "stressed the determination of the European Union to play a constructive role alongside the Belarusian people so that violence against the population ceases immediately and that a political solution can be reached as soon as possible," the French presidency said in a statement.

A solution, it added, must respect "the aspirations expressed peacefully and massively for several days" by protesters demanding Lukashenko step down even in the face of a brutal police crackdown. — AFP

EU chief Charles Michel held telephone talks on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Belarus as the West seeks to prevent the crisis from escalating.

Michel, who heads the EU Council, spoke to the Russian leader on the eve of an emergency summit of the bloc's leaders to discuss Belarus, where protests are growing against President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election.

"I just discussed the situation in #Belarus with President Putin of Russia @KremlinRussia_E. Only peaceful and truly inclusive dialogue can resolve the crisis in Belarus," Michel tweeted. — AFP

Demonstrators descend on central Minsk for a ninth night in a row to protest disputed election results after factory workers heckled Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko and joined historic walkouts at state companies. — AFP

EU leaders will hold emergency video talks on Wednesday on the crisis in Belarus, where protests are swelling against the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.

The meeting was called by EU Council President Charles Michel after Russia said it was ready to provide military help to its ally Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to condemn Lukashenko's election win and a subsequent violent crackdown on protesters by riot police. — AFP

Germany said Monday it was prepared to back an expansion of European Union sanctions against leading figures in Belarus over its bloody crackdown on demonstrators.

After EU ministers agreed Friday to draw up a list of targets in Belarus for a new round of sanctions, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said even stronger measures should be considered.

"Of course we are looking at the option of expanding the sanctions to other leading figures," he told reporters. — AFP

The UK said Monday it did not recognise the "fraudulent" Belarus presidential vote which saw Alexander Lukashenko re-elected and denounced the "grisly repression" of unprecedented protests over the result.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab also threatened sanctions against those responsible and called for an independent international probe.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, claimed victory in the August 9 election with 80 percent of the vote, despite wide opposition to his rule. — AFP

Protesters gathered outside a factory and the headquarters of state television in Minsk on Monday following a call from Belarus's opposition for a general strike over a disputed election.

AFP journalists saw protesters waving the opposition's red-and-white flag at the television channel and the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MZKT), where President Alexander Lukashenko was visiting.

Workers at the Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ) also told AFP that several thousand staff had walked off the job. — AFP

The main challenger in Belarus's disputed presidential election said Monday that she was ready to take over the country's leadership after a wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.

"I did not want to be a politician. But fate decreed that I'd find myself on the frontline of a confrontation against arbitrary rule and injustice," Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in a new video from exile in Lithuania.

"I am ready to take responsibility and act as a national leader during this period." — AFP

Anti-government protests seeking to oust him followed a crushing re-election victory for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in disputed polls. — AFP