'We understand that you are scared': rallies in support of detainees in Belarus were held around the world

Actions of solidarity with Belarusians took place around the world. Hundreds of Belarusians in different countries took part in peaceful actions for fair elections and against mass detentions in Belarus. This is stated in the video with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

Mass detentions in the republic took place on June 19-21, when people came out in protest against the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko after the arrest of one of his main rivals in the election of Viktor Babariko.

In New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Warsaw, Berlin, The Hague, Moscow and Kiev, Belarusians went to peaceful pickets, calling for fair elections and supporting alternative candidates to Lukashenko.

Since May in the republic detained more than a hundred people.

The presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for August 9. Alexander Lukashenko will run for the sixth time.

“When I was detained, I was severely beaten. They kicked and punched me, in the face, and grabbed me by the hair,” says Alexander Poznyak, a participant in a peaceful protest in Belarus who was detained by the police.

More than 200 people walked the streets in New York. In Warsaw, about 1000 people went to the Belarusian embassy.

“We went to the UN building to support you. We understand that you are scared. We're not so scared here. But we want to thank you very much for what you are doing,” a protester in New York supports the Belarusians.

Rally participants in New York marched through the city with signs, chanting “We believe. We can. Peramozham" (“We Believe. We Can. We Will Win”), as well as “Release.”

“Guys, don’t give up, keep performing, keep resisting. Together we will definitely win,” another protester in New York expresses a public thought.

“Belarus deserves fair elections, and it’s time for Lukashenko to leave,” one of the protesters emphasized.

Mass detentions began throughout Belarus after the arrest of one of Lukashenko’s main opponents in the election, Viktor Babariko, who had previously headed Belgazprombank. The charges brought against Babariko are unknown. Belgazprombank is accused of tax evasion, money laundering and the creation of a criminal group that threatens national security. Viktor Babariko and his son are in the KGB jail.

“The events that took place in Minsk on June 18 and 19 are massive and unsanctioned,” said Artem Tsuran, an employee of the Minsk City Executive Committee.

The European Union, Great Britain and the USA condemned the detention of peaceful demonstrators in Belarus.

What the protesters demand

“We, citizens of Belarus who currently live abroad, as well as Belarusians abroad who were forced to renounce their citizenship as a result of political persecution, express our gratitude and solidarity with the protesters in Belarus,” representatives of the Belarusian diaspora wrote in in your statement on the page Facebook Bella Fox.

“We collectively oppose all forms of political repression currently occurring in Belarus, and join the relevant statements made by ambassadors and official representatives of the European Union, Great Britain and the United States,” write representatives of the diaspora. “We demand the release of all arbitrarily detained activists and political prisoners in Belarus, including protest leader Pavel Sevyaryants and presidential candidate Sergei Tikhanovsky, who were placed in solitary confinement. We demand the release of Eduard and Viktor Babaryk from pre-trial detention and guarantee full respect for the rule of law, including a fair and transparent investigation and the right to access to a lawyer.”

“We call on the Belarusian authorities to guarantee freedom of speech and assembly, including, but not limited to, the right to peaceful assembly in the city center. We urge the government of Belarus to take immediate action to comply with its international human rights obligations as enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and other treaties,” they write. representatives of the diaspora.

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