Disputed Belarus vote: Protester dies in clashes
Minsk: A protester died amid clashes between police and thousands of people gathered for a second straight night on Monday in Belarus after official results from weekend elections dismissed by the opposition as a sham gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Interior Ministry spokesman Alexander Lastovsky said the victim was part of a crowd of people protesting results of Sunday's presidential vote. The protester intended to throw an explosive device, but it blew up in his hand and killed him, Lastovsky said.
The death came amid demonstrations in at least four areas of Minsk that met with a harsh response from police who tried to disperse protesters with flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets. Near the Pushkinskaya subway station, some 3,000 protesters tried to build barricades.
Lukashenko's hardline rule began in 1994 and his victory would extend it until 2025. He derided the opposition as sheep manipulated by foreign masters.
Dozens were injured and thousands detained hours after Sunday's vote, when police brutally broke up mostly young protesters with tear gas, water cannons and beat them with truncheons. Rights activists said one person died after being run over by a police truck which authorities denied.
Election officials said Lukashenko won a sixth term in office with 80% of the vote, while opposition challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya got 10%.
Tsikhanouskaya submitted a formal request for a recount to the Central Election Commission.
After submitting the request, both Tsikhanouskaya and her spokeswoman remained unreachable. Upon leaving the commission's headquarters she said, I have made a decision, I must be with my children. It was unclear if her statement meant that she was heading abroad to reunite with her children, whom she had earlier sent to an unspecified European country after receiving threats.
On Monday evening, scattered groups of opposition supporters began gathering in downtown Minsk, chanting Freedom! and Long live Belarus! A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens.
Later, about 1,000 protesters gathered near a big shopping mall in downtown Minsk before being dispersed by police. The Viasna rights group said protesters also gathered in several other Belarusian cities, including Brest, Mogilev and Vitebsk, where detentions also took place.
The police crackdown drew harsh criticism from European capitals and will likely complicate Lukashenko's efforts to mend ties with the West amid tensions with his main ally and sponsor, Russia.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the election was not free and fair and added: We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters.
Meanwhile, the top opposition candidate in Belarus' presidential vote, who initially refused to concede her defeat amid a massive police crackdown on anti-government protesters, said Tuesday she has left for Lithuania and called on her supporters to end demonstrations.
Looking haggard and distressed, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a former teacher and political novice, apologized to her supporters in a video statement and said it was her own choice to leave the
country.
"It was a very hard decision to make," she said. "I know that many of you will understand me, many others will condemn me and some will even hate me. But God forbid you ever face the choice that I faced."
In another video statement released later on Tuesday, she urged her supporters to respect the law and avoid clashes with police. Her campaign aides said she made the unexpected move under duress. Tsikhanouskaya's husband has been at a Belarusian jail since his arrest in May.
"It's very difficult to resist pressure when your family and all your inner circle have been taken hostages," said Maria Kolesnikova, a top figure in Tsikhanouskaya's campaign.
