2020–2021 Belarusian protests

Protests against the re-election of Belarusian president Aliaksandr Lukashenka

The 2020 Belarusian protests, nicknamed the Slipper Revolution,[1][2] and the Anti-Cockroach Revolution[3] are a series of street protests against Belarus's president Alexander Lukashenko.[4] They began on 24 March 2020.

The protests are part of the Belarusian democracy movement. They are upset over the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, in which Lukashenko was controversially re-elected.[4] Many believed the election was rigged and unfair.[5][6]

Support from Russian President Vladimir Putin helped Alexander Lukashenko hold on, and the security forces started attacking people from the opposite side.[5][6]

There were more than 600 political prisoners as of August 2021.[7] These numbers came from the Viasna Human Rights Centre.[7] Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and thousands have left the country.[7]

References

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  1. "Belarus: Could slippers topple a president who has been in power for 26 years?". Sky News.
  2. "'Slipper Revolution' Shakes Belarus". Voice of America.
  3. Shkliarov, Vitali (June 4, 2020). "Belarus Is Having an Anti-'Cockroach' Revolution". Foreign Policy.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Uladz Hrydzin (May 25, 2020). "Belarusians Protest Against Lukashenka's Run For Sixth Term As President". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Shotter, James (2020-12-02). "Violent crackdown fails to silence Belarus protesters". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2020-12-05. But backing from Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the peak of the protests helped Mr Lukashenko cling on and, after a brief lull, the security forces have embarked on an aggressive campaign to intimidate his opponents.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Марчук, Виктор (2020-12-11). "Белорусы не хотят рушить «берлинскую» стену". Brestskaya Gazeta (in Russian). 50 (939): 17. Очередное подтверждение их схожести мир получил после того, как Путин поздравил Лукашенко с «победой» и взялся помогать ему бороться с протестами и поддержал финансово.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Brunner, Simone (2021-08-02). "Von der Sprinterin zur Staatsfeindin" (in German). Die Zeit. Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-08-03. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Wesna zählt inzwischen bereits mehr als 600 politische Gefangene, Zehntausende Menschen wurden inhaftiert, Tausende haben das Land verlassen