Thousands of people carrying candles and flowers gathered in Minsk on Thursday to mourn the death of a 31-year-old anti-government protester who they say was badly beaten by Belarusian security forces and died in hospital. Witnesses say Roman Bondarenko was detained after scuffling with people in plain clothes who had come to a children's playground to remove red-and-white ribbons that represent the protest movement against veteran President Alexander Lukashenko. The interior ministry denied responsibility for Bondarenko's death, saying he was killed due to a scuffle with civilians. Above, mourners gathered in Minsk on Thursday to pay tribute to BondarenkoLithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said he was 'shocked' by the death of the protester. Britain expelled two Belarusian diplomats on Tuesday in response to two of its own diplomats being expelled from Belarus.

Source: Daily Mail November 13, 2020 09:09 UTC