Local protest actions were held in offstreet yards and residential areas. Earlier this week, Alyaksandr Lukashenka demanded such protests rallies be stopped.
In Minsk, protests took place in Malinauka and Paudnyovy Zakhad residential areas – dozens of people took to the streets; white-red-white flags were spotted.
Up to a hundred people marched along Mayakouski Street (Loshytsa).
There are also reports about ‘yard’ rallies in the vicinity of Pushkinskaya metro station, on Zakharau and Pulikhau streets, in Sokal district residential area.
In addition, protesters formed a chain of solidarity in Victory Square.
People also went for a walk with white-red-white flags in Hrodna, Pruzhany, Lahoysk, Vileyka, Homiel.
On January 7, when visiting the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Lukashenka warned Belarusian protesters against ‘walking around the courtyards’.
“Thus we need to pull ourselves together, we need to calm down. Not us standing here. But the small group that walks around Minsk on weekends these days. I warned you: it’s bad when they walk down the street, it’s even worse when they walk into the courtyards, it will be unbearable when they come to your apartments. We must not let this happen,” he said.
At the beginning of the year, Belarus’ Prosecutor General Andrey Shved announced strengthening of repressive measures against protesters.
