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Belarus Detains Opposition Figure, Jails Strike Leader
The KGB is attempting to intimidate members of the opposition Coordination Council Presidium set up after the fraudulent election.
The EU and US should sanction products from Belneftehim, Belaruskali, Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), and the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ).
Related: Belarus Blocks Catholic Church Head From Entering Country After He Criticizes Government
9/1/20
Belarusian authorities on August 31 jailed a strike leader and detained a top member of an opposition council aiming to coordinate a transition of power, in the latest attempt by authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to quell opposition to his 26-year rule. Police from the financial-crimes unit detained Lilia Vlasova, one of seven members of the Coordination Council Presidium, on August 31 after searching her home earlier in the day, her colleague Paval Latushka said in a Telegram post. Vlasova, 67, is at least the third member of the presidium to have been detained since it was set up earlier this month following nationwide protests in the wake of the disputed August 9 presidential election. Two members of the presidium were jailed for 10 days while at least six of the seven have been questioned since the prosecutor-general opened an investigation into the council, claiming it is attempting to illegally “seize” power.
Separately, Anatol Bokun, co-chair of the Belaruskali factory strike committee, was sentenced to 15 days in jail on charges of organizing an unsanctioned protest. The state-run factory, which accounts for a fifth of the world’s potash fertilizer output, is the nation’s top cash earner. Workers at the factory and some other state-run plants went on strike two weeks ago to protest the election results, posing an unprecedented challenge to Lukashenka. The Belaruskali strike committee spokesman, Gleb Sandras, told AP news agency that the potash mines are now working after state security services pressured workers to end the strike. “The authorities have powerful economic instruments. They are blackmailing workers with mass dismissals,” Sandras said. Bokun's detention follows the arrests of strike leaders at two other major industrial plants in Minsk last week.
The KGB is attempting to intimidate members of the opposition Coordination Council Presidium set up after the fraudulent election.
The EU and US should sanction products from Belneftehim, Belaruskali, Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), and the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ).
Related: Belarus Blocks Catholic Church Head From Entering Country After He Criticizes Government