Rally against Lukashenka

Minsk, Belarus

Riot police this week broke up a rally in central Minsk against Belarus’ authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. It was the largest opposition demonstration in nearly a year, and several foreign dignitaries, including ambassadors from the U.S., Germany, and France, were present. Protestors waving the red-and-white pre-Soviet flag chanted, “We want freedom,” and “Belarus in the E.U.” Last spring, just after Lukashenka won a third term after rushing through constitutional changes, protests went on for a week. They finally ended when riot police waded in with clubs and arrested hundreds. Leaders of that rally are still in prison.