People carry banners of protest as they gather to denounce the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Warsaw, Poland (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)Hundreds of people, among them many Belarusians living in exile in Poland, marched in Warsaw on Sunday to protest political repression in neighbouring Belarus — a demonstration held on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Belarus presidential election that they consider rigged. Expand Close People denounce the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Warsaw, Poland (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) / FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsapp People denounce the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Warsaw, Poland (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)A belief that the vote was stolen triggered mass protests in Belarus that led to increased repressions by Mr Lukashenko’s regime on protesters, dissidents and independent media. The protesters began in central Warsaw and marched past the US and Russian embassies, aiming for the Belarusian embassy in a southern Warsaw district. In front of the Russian embassy, speakers accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of being responsible for the repressions in Belarus. In one case, the regime this year arrested a dissident journalist after forcing his flight to divert to Belarus.

Source: Irish Independent August 08, 2021 17:26 UTC