10/19/20
MINSK -- Several thousand retirees marched through the streets of the Belarusian capital as protesters kept up their demand for the ouster of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The participants in a so-called March of Wisdom in Minsk on October 19 chanted for Lukashenka to "Go away!" following a presidential election in August that the opposition and the West say was rigged. Pro-Lukashenka pensioners also rallied in the city, many of them men in military and security forces uniforms, with banners with slogans such as "For peace, prosperity, and traditional values." The previous day, tens of thousands of protesters marched in Minsk and other cities despite a threat from the Interior Ministry to use deadly force. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chemodanova said on October 19 that police detained 280 people for violating the law on mass events, including 215 in the capital, Minsk.
Opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters have stepped up their pressure by setting October 25 as the date for Lukashenka to step down or face a nationwide strike. Lukashenka has lost the support of many state workers, long considered his base, as the economy has struggled under his rule in recent years. In an interview with RFE/RL published on October 16, Tsikhanouskaya -- who was forced to flee to Lithuania after the election that her supporters and others say she won -- said that the decision to announce the so-called "People's Ultimatum" was not made solely by her, but by opposition groups, including her team, the opposition Coordination Council, opposition political parties, protest groups, representatives of striking workers, and Belarusian citizens who were beaten and tortured by law enforcement in recent months.
