Protesters in Minsk took to the streets in large numbers Sunday for the fifth weekend in a row, demanding that authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko step down.
Unidentified masked men detained opposition leader Maxim Znak on Wednesday. Others have been forced into exile or arrested. Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich warned of "terror against the people."
Maria Kolesnikova, 38, was taken away by masked men in a van Monday in Minsk, according to reports citing eyewitnesses. Authorities later said she was arrested while trying to cross into Ukraine.
Speaking to NPR from Lithuania, the challenger to longtime President Alexander Lukashenko says "women understood that they are leaders" in the struggle.
The Belarusian president appears to regain the upper hand after mass demonstrations against his reelection in a vote that's been criticized by the U.S. and the European Union.
Earlier this year, Alexander Lukashenko had tried to offset Kremlin pressure by pursuing rapprochement with Western nations. Now he is directing attacks toward the West and has turned to Russia again.
Nearly two weeks after an election kept President Alexander Lukashenko in power amid accusations of vote-rigging, massive protests against Lukashenko continue and neither side is backing down.
The European Union says the Aug. 9 polls in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed an overwhelming victory were "neither free nor fair and do not meet international standards."
The government of President Alexander Lukashenko is coming under increasing pressure as demonstrations sparked by a disputed election show signs of expanding.
More than a week of protests across the country are aimed at getting President Alexander Lukashenko to step down after 26 years in power. Lukashenko has vowed never to quit.
The country's scattered opposition is regaining its footing after President Alexander Lukashenko unleashed his security forces on protesters during four nights of unprecedented violence.
Security forces have clashed with demonstrators since Sunday's election, which is widely viewed as fraudulent. Nearly 7,000 have been arrested. And the opposition candidate fled the country.
"I'm tired of being silent. I'm tired of being afraid," said opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who entered the race after her blogger husband was jailed.
