In Belarus, women carrying flowers form human chains in protest at violence after ‘rigged’ vote
- Nearly 7,000 people have been detained and hundreds have been injured in a ruthless police clampdown on demonstrators following Sunday’s ballot
- The brutality and scope of the crackdown was remarkable even for the iron-fisted rule of President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed Europe’s ‘last dictator’
In several areas of Minsk, hundreds of women formed long “lines of solidarity”, carrying flowers and portraits of loved ones detained during protests. The human chains grew quickly, and by early afternoon filled the main central squares and avenues. Motorists blared horns in support.
Nearly 7,000 people have been detained and hundreds have been injured in a ruthless police clampdown on demonstrators protesting the official results of Sunday’s ballot that gave President Alexander Lukashenko 80 per cent of the vote, and his top opposition challenger only 10 per cent.
Police have cracked down in full force, breaking up the protests with stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets and severe beatings.
“Belarusians have seen the villainous face of this government. I argued with my husband and voted for Lukashenko. And this is what I got in the end – I can’t find my relatives in prisons,” said Valentina Chailytko, 49, whose husband and son were detained during protests on Sunday.
