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Videos Chronicle Belarus Opposition Protests

VOA News

   Ongoing opposition protests in Belarus saw the largest turnout yet over
   the weekend, following days of public rallies against the disputed
   reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko.

   Hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators gathered in Minsk and
   other Belarusian cities demanding free and fair elections. Protesters
   are seeking the release of all political prisoners, justice for
   perpetrators of human rights abuses and the resignation of Lukashenko.

   An unprecedented wave of protestshaveswept across Belarus in recent
   days after users on social media started sharing videos and photos
   showing security officers brutally repressing demonstrators angered by
   the official results of the disputed presidential election. On August
   9, incumbentPresident Lukashenko claimed victory withmore than80% of
   the vote. It was his sixth consecutive win since 1994, when he took
   over the country.

   Independent exit polls are officially banned in Belarus,but according
   to civil society activists and members of opposition, Lukashenko's
   support was only because of extensive vote rigging. Activists claim
   that the president's opponent -- Svetlana Tikhanovskaya -- won the race
   with 65-70% of the vote. Tikhanovskaya had entered the race after
   authorities jailed her husband,SergeiTikhanovsky, a popular blogger who
   tried to launch a presidential campaign.

   Several grass-roots groups have created "channels" on Telegram, a
   popular messaging app, where they have uploaded thousands of videos of
   the dramatic scenes. The videos, which have chronicled the
   protestandalsocarried personal testimonies from demonstrators who say
   they were tortured in detention centers, have outraged Belarusians and
   galvanized the protest movement.

   VOA is publishing several videos of the eventssharedon Telegram.

   Warning:some of these images are violent and graphic.

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