Belarus draws largest protest yet as Lukashenko rejects election do-over
16 August 2020
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in the Belarus capital of Minsk on Sunday as President Aleksandr Lukashenko, the man known as "Europe's last dictator," rejected calls to hold a new election and accused NATO of massing at the country's western border.
Why it matters: It was the eighth day of demonstrations since Lukashenko proclaimed a landslide victory over pro-democracy opposition in an election widely viewed as rigs, and likely the largest protest in the history of the former Soviet republic, according to the New York Times.
The state of play: Lukashenko's claims of a military buildup by NATO, which the Western alliance denied, came after the authoritarian leader revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had pledged "comprehensive security assistance" if necessary to fight back foreign forces.
- Condemning anti-government protesters as "rats" controlled by "puppeteers" and "outsiders," Lukashenko warned at a rally that Belarus would "perish as a state" if the election were rerun, according to AP.
- Many of the supporters at the rally, which was dwarfed by upwards of 100,000 people who turned out to protest, had to be bused in from towns and villages outside of Minsk — reflecting Lukashenko's dwindling support, according to the Times.
- The protest took on a lighter and more celebratory tone than the nightly demonstrations, which have resulted in over 6,000 arrests and an untold number of injuries as protesters violently clash with riot police.
The big picture: The European Union's foreign ministers agreed on Friday to prepare sanctions against Belarusian officials for "violence, repression and the falsification of election results."
- The U.S. has condemned the election as "not free or fair," but it's unclear if the Trump administration plans to take any punitive steps.
- The foreign minister of neighboring Lithuania, where main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is in hiding, has referred to Lukashenko on Twitter as the "former president of Belarus."
On the ground
Lukashenko speaks at his own rally. Photo: Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images
Protesters near the Minsk Hero City Obelisk. Photo: Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images
Protesters former white and red flag of Belarus. Photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images
Belarus Freedom march is the largest gathering in Belarus history! pic.twitter.com/2SwS59qfLS
— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) August 16, 2020
Just unbelievable scenes in Minsk as a huge crowd chants “Resign!”
— max seddon (@maxseddon) August 16, 2020
via @Belsat_TVpic.twitter.com/09obiTSPxk
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.