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On December 6, protest rallies named the March of Freedom took place throughout Belarus.
For the third Sunday in a row, its participants have gathered in their neighborhoods and then moved to the places previously defined in local chats or decided on the spot where to march.
On November 17, Alyaksandr Lukashenka instructed security agencies to ‘restore order’ in the country and stamp out the protests. The people responded with decentralising Sunday marches; as a result, pro-government forces had more difficulty dispersing protesters who scattered all over the capital city.
On Sunday morning, several central metro stations were closed off in Minsk; mobile Internet slowed down. Security officers and special vehicles were pulled in to a number of city districts.
In Minsk, residents of dozens of residential areas (Uruchcha, Kamennaya Horka, Sukharava, Masyukoushchyna, etc) took to the streets today. Security officers repeatedly dispersed protesters’ columns, hunted for them in offstreet yards, used rubber bullets and flashbang grenades. Water cannons and service dogs were spotted during the march.
At least three persons were detained near the entrance to Belarus department store, and there were also detentions near Riga shopping centre, on Burdeiny Street and many other places.
In Kurasoushchyna residential area, the police staged a crackdown on a column of about 500 people when it was heading to the city centre. However, some of participants managed to gather again and moved in the direction of Loshytsa.
On Prytytski Street, people holding flowers formed a solidarity chain along the road.
“Step down!” the Minskers chanted in the vicinity of the worsted-goods factory:
Another column shaped not far from Kyiv Garden Square; after a while, it numbered a thousand participants. People chanted: “Look out of the window, don’t watch [state-run] TV!” and extended greetings to Russia’s Khabarovsk which is also known for its ongoing protests.
On Zhukouski Street, where riot police detained about 10 people in yards, shots were heard and smoke was visible.
Eyewitnesses also reported a violent break-up in Sukharava-3.
By 10.30 pm (local time), there have been more than 310 names on the list of detainees, the information is being updated, human rights centre Viasna reports.
For nearly four months, post-election protests have been underway in the country; the major demands of Belarusians are Lukashenka’s resignation; holding a free and fair election; releasing political prisoners; putting an end to police violence as well as bringing to justice those involved in battering and torturing peaceful demonstrators.
Since August 9, around 31,000 people have been detained across the country. Many of them were beaten, some were raped. There are at least seven death cases that are linked to the post-election protests. At least 520 persons, including Belsat TV journalists Katsyaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova, are parties to criminal proceedings, the number of political prisoners exceeded 150. Several thousand detainees filed complaints against police officers’ illegal actions to the Investigative Committee. However, not a single criminal case has been opened over the citizens’ appeals.
