FRESH PROTESTS LAUNCHED IN MINSK VS BELARUS PRESIDENT

The situation in the Belarusian capital Minsk was tense on Sunday, ahead of a planned mass demonstration against disputed President Alexander Lukashenko, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported late on August 30, 2020. 

Independence Square in the center of the city was sealed off with metal bars and guarded by security forces, according to a dpa reporter. 

The Interior Ministry has warned citizens not to take part in the unauthorized rally and has threatened violence. The pro-democracy movement ignored the threats and said that as Lukashenko celebrated his 66th birthday on Sunday, he should see that the people were against him and his time in power was expiring, after ruling for 26 years. The motto of the protest march was "For Peace and Independence." 

On the last two Sundays, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Belarus to protest "Europe's last dictator," as they dub Lukashenko. The police have so far not intervened in these mass rallies. In the past few days, other demonstrations were disbanded and people arrested, indicating the power apparatus might not permit a fresh mass demonstration. Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressly promised Lukashenko support from his country's security forces in what is seen as a ploy to intimidate the protest movement.