Minsk, Belarus
Belarusian authorities broke up pro-democracy protests this week, beating demonstrators and tossing more than 150 activists into prison. Among those jailed were presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kozulin and Mariusz Maszkiewicz, a former Polish diplomat; both were also beaten. After police hauled away the demonstrators from October Square, witnesses said, officers planted beer bottles, syringes, and pornographic magazines. State television then claimed that the rally had been a drug-fueled orgy. "Of course it is easier to carry out different sexual experiments on psychologically unstable youth," the broadcaster said. Activists said they would continue to challenge President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, whose re-election last month was widely condemned as fraudulent. "We are by no means pessimistic," said opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich. "I believe we have made the first step to victory."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
