Belarusians protest in Minsk against police brutality and the presidential election resultsRiot police broke up a rally outside a tractor factory in Minsk yesterday as President Lukashenko of Belarus threatened a new crackdown on dissent. Officers moved to clear a crowd outside the entrance to the sprawling Minsk tractor works, a focal point for opposition to Mr Lukashenko, who claimed victory in a disputed election ten days ago. The move came as the EU announced sanctions on Belarus, and Russia indicated that it saw the crisis in the former Soviet state as a crucible for Moscow’s geopolitical confrontation with the West. The EU said it would impose sanctions on “a substantial number” of individuals responsible for violence, repression and falsifying the August 9 election result, which Mr Lukashenko claimed with an 80 per cent landslide.

Source: The Times August 19, 2020 16:07 UTC