Belarus Presidential Election Drama Llama

[lpetrich]

Belarus crisis unsettling for Putin at home as opponents take heart - Reuters

Events in Belarus are seeping into Russian politics.

Some anti-Kremlin protesters in Russia’s far east, who have demonstrated for six straight weeks against what they regard as Putin’s mishandling of a local political crisis there, have started chanting “Long live Belarus!” in support of the protesters in Minsk, 9,000 km (5,590 miles) to the west.

The protests in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk are unusual by Russian standards for their longevity and scale.

One hand-drawn placard said: “Khabarovsk is with you, Belarus.”

Belarusian activist to press fight against Lukashenko with opposition leader - Reuters

Belarusian activist Veronika Tsepkalo plans to meet opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Lithuania to discuss their next steps towards ousting President Alexander Lukashenko, but she indicated she would not return to her country soon.

Tsepkalo also said it could take “some time” for the movement against Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years and has faced mass protests since an election widely viewed as rigged, to succeed in its aims.

Tsepkalo fled Belarus for neighbouring Poland after the Aug. 9 election upon receiving threats from the government that she would be arrested.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Belarus crisis unsettling for Putin at home as opponents take heart - Reuters

Events in Belarus are seeping into Russian politics.

Some anti-Kremlin protesters in Russia’s far east, who have demonstrated for six straight weeks against what they regard as Putin’s mishandling of a local political crisis there, have started chanting “Long live Belarus!” in support of the protesters in Minsk, 9,000 km (5,590 miles) to the west.

The protests in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk are unusual by Russian standards for their longevity and scale.

One hand-drawn placard said: “Khabarovsk is with you, Belarus.”

That’s what I was hoping for. Press on good people.

 

[lpetrich]

More and more trouble.

Belarus opposition politician told she would be deported 'alive or in bits' - BBC News

A detained Belarusian opposition leader has said she feared for her life when security officers threw a bag over her head during an attempt to deport her.

Through her lawyer, Maria Kolesnikova said she was forced into a van and told that if she did not leave willingly she would be removed "alive or in bits".

She is now seeking a criminal case against Belarusian security forces including the KGB, her lawyer said.

'Terror Against The People': Belarus Detains Another Opposition Leader : NPR

Eyewitnesses saw opposition politician Maxim Znak being detained Wednesday morning by unidentified masked men in the capital Minsk.

His lawyer, Dmitry Laevsky, later said Znak had been arrested because of his membership of the opposition-run Coordination Council, which the government has deemed illegal.

Znak was one of the last members of the council still active in Belarus. The others have either been forced into exile or detained because of their efforts to negotiate an end to the rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, following elections last month.