Hundreds in Warsaw protest political repression in Belarus

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WARSAW – Hundreds of people, among them galore Belarusians surviving successful exile successful Poland, marched Sunday successful Warsaw to protestation governmental repression successful neighboring Belarus — a objection held connected the eve of the one-year day of the Belarus statesmanlike predetermination that they see rigged.

Many carried the Belarusian opposition’s red-and-white flag, which is banned successful Belarus, and chanted “Long unrecorded Belarus!”

The protestation focused connected the Aug. 9, 2020 statesmanlike predetermination successful Belarus successful which President Alexander Lukashenko was awarded a sixth word successful a ballot that the absorption and galore successful the West presumption arsenic fraudulent.

A content that the ballot was stolen triggered wide protests successful Belarus that led to increased repressions by Lukashenko’s authorities connected protesters, dissidents and autarkic media. Over 35,000 radical were arrested and thousands were beaten and jailed.

The protesters began successful cardinal Warsaw and marched past the U.S. and Russian embassies, aiming for the Belarusian embassy successful a confederate Warsaw district.

Frantz Aslauski, a 56-years-old Belarusian who traveled from his caller location successful Wroclaw, Poland, said helium believed Belarusians overseas indispensable protestation “because successful Belarus radical cannot spell to the streets due to the fact that they volition beryllium thrown into prison.”

"We person the accidental (to demonstrate), truthful this work rests connected us, we indispensable outcry astatine the full world, truthful that the full satellite supports america successful our pursuit of state and democracy,” Aslauski said.

In beforehand of the Russian embassy, speakers accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being liable for the repressions successful Belarus. One banner showed an representation of Lukashenko depicted arsenic a vampire, with humor dripping from his mouth.

Lukashenko has earned the nickname of “Europe’s past dictator” successful the West for his relentless repression of dissent since taking the helm successful 1994. In 1 shocking case, the authorities this twelvemonth arrested a dissident writer aft forcing his formation to divert to Belarus.

The organizers of the Warsaw march said the lawsuit was held arsenic a motion that Belarusians successful Poland volition not springiness up their combat to bring alteration to Belarus. Among their demands was the merchandise of governmental prisoners backmost home.

Poland, on with Lithuania and Ukraine, has go a cardinal halfway of beingness successful exile for Belarusians who person fled their homeland. Many radical successful Poland, an ex-communist state present successful the European Union which shares a borderline with Belarus, enactment the efforts of Belarusians seeking antiauthoritarian change.

One of the astir caller Belarusians to get is Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, an Olympic sprinter who, fearing reprisals astatine home, fled past week from the Tokyo Olympics to Poland.

Thousands of Belarusians person besides fled to neighboring Ukraine, fearing persecution backmost home. In Ukraine's superior of Kyiv connected Sunday, immoderate 500 Belarusians besides took to the streets to protestation repression successful Belarus and to people the day of the statesmanlike predetermination that triggered the largest and the astir sustained question of protests successful Belarus’ history.

The demonstrators carried red-and-white flags and banners saying “Belarus nether Lukashenko has go a attraction camp,” “North Korea successful the halfway of Europe. Stop.” They demanded that planetary authorities make a tribunal to analyse what they called Lukashenko's crimes.

“Every time Lukashenko is successful power, determination are much victims of governmental repressions, adjacent successful Ukraine,” 21-year-old Bazhena Zholudz said astatine the rally.

Zholudz was the woman of Vitaly Shishov, a Belarusian activistic who ran a radical successful Ukraine helping Belarusians fleeing persecution. Shishov was recovered hanged successful Kyiv past week and Ukrainian constabulary are investigating whether it was a execution made to look similar a suicide.

Following Shishov's death, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the country's constabulary and information forces to survey information risks for each Belarusians who person arrived successful Ukraine implicit the past year.

“Every Belarusian who tin beryllium a people for criminals successful transportation with his nationalist governmental presumption should person peculiar and reliable protection,” Zelenskyy's bureau quoted him arsenic saying.

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Associated Press writer Yuras Karmanau successful Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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Follow each AP stories connected Belarus astatine https://apnews.com/hub/Belarus.

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