Alexander Lukashenko

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has threatened demonstrators stating that "if someone touches a military man, he must at least leave without hands". Since Monday, the opposition has been trying to force Lukashenko to resign from office by calling for general strikes.

Airport service workers from Lufthansa Technik have refused to service a Boing 737 plane that belongs to the self-proclaimed president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. They stated that "We, Lufthansa Technik’s activists, do not forget the long tradition of international solidarity and stand side by side with Belarusian workers" and added that "the same Lukashenko that gave the order to shoot at demonstrators in Belarus".

With the re-election of President Lukashenko, who has been ruling Belarus for 26 years, a protest movement has started. It accuses the head of state of election fraud. The state security forces are trying to stem the demonstrations that have been going on since then by violent means. For the first time, the Belarusian police announced the use of deadly weapons.

Cyprus has withdrawn its veto against the sanctions at the EU summit in Brussels in the night to Friday. According to Council leader Charles Michel, they should come into force immediately.

With the sanctions, the EU wants to put additional pressure on the leadership in Belarus and send a signal of solidarity with the people living there. In the former Soviet republic there have been protests and strikes against Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, since the presidential election on August 9.

The Foreign Ministry in Belarus stated on Friday that all existing press accreditations of foreign journalists were cancelled. Starting Monday, Journalists are supposed to reapply for accreditation under a new, "streamlined" system.

Belarusian government focus on foreign media organizations follows weeks of critical news coverage of the controversial presidential elections and the disproportionate crackdowns on demonstrations against the longstanding Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

"The only possible explanation is that the Belarusian government fears independent media and is using every possible trick to prevent independent reporting," states Deutsche Welle's Editor-in-Chief, Manuela Kasper-Claridge.

Without previous announcement Alexander Lukashenko has been sworn in as president of Belarus for a sixth term.

Thousands of people have moved to protest the move and people have been detained by Belarusian security forces. In addition water cannons have been used in order to disperse the protesting crowds.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Wednesday he had asked the Russian president to supply Belarus with new weapons.

During a visit of the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to Minsk, Lukashenko stated: "I also asked the Russian president to provide certain types of weapons to us. I told him: when you come, we will see what things we need to strengthen in terms of the Union State."

During a visit of Alexandar Lukashenko to Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would grant a loan worth €1.26 billion to Belarus. Putin also supported Lukashenko's initiative to reform Belarus's constitution.

Putin told Lukashenko, at the joint press conference: "I am sure that, considering your political experience, the work in this direction would be organised on the highest possible level."

Russia announced they would also continue the pre-planned joint military drills. At the same time, Putin emphasised that Russian soldiers would "return to their permanent deployment locations" after the routine ends.

For the fifth weekend in a row, protesters took the streets in Belarus against President Alexander Lukashenko under the slogan "We won’t let him sell the country." According to news agencies, at least 100,000 people joined the rally in Minsk, with Police claiming they had detained over 400 people in the city.

The Russian Government has stepped up support, offering to potentially restructure Belarusian debt, and providing banking liquidity. It has also said Russian riot police could be made available if needed.

Lukashenko will meet Vladimir Putin Monday in the Russian resort of Sochi. It will be their first face-to-face encounter since Belarus’s presidential election on August 9.

A prominent opponent of President Alexander Lukashenko has allegedly been seized from the streets of Minsk by masked men in black and taken away in a van.

According to the Russian president Vladimir Putin, he has police on standby that can enter Belarus in case "the situation gets out of control" for the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko who faces protests and strikes all around the country because of election manipulation.

The opposition had founded the Coordinating Council after the controversial presidential election on 9 August to initiate a peaceful transfer of power. According to the opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, it is to work for "fair and democratic presidential elections under international observation".

The General Prosecutor's Office in Belarus (Belarus) officially opened proceedings against the opposition Coordination Council on Thursday. In its way, the government has thus responded to an attempt at dialogue by the opposition. The opposition wanted to continue to establish direct contact with the authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.

The European Union rejected the result of the Belarusian presidential election and planned sanctions on those behind violence against protesters.
The President of the European Council stated: "The members of the European Council condemn the disproportionate and unacceptable violence displayed by the state authorities against peaceful protesters. Violence must be avoided and, all those unlawfully detained must be immediately and unconditionally released. Civil society and opposition actors engaged in discussions of political transition must be protected from arbitrary arrests and violence. The EU expects a complete and transparent investigation into all alleged abuses."
Alexander Lukashenko and Russian officials point to EU "interference" in the Belarus Protests.

Reuters report that a spokesman for the German government denied that any phone call had taken place between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko since the August 9 election.

Earlier Monday Interfax news agency reported Alexander Lukashenko said he received a phone call on Sunday from the German Chancellor.

During a speech where Lukashenko addressed workers at a tractor plant stated that "we held elections already. Until you kill me, there will be no other elections".

The Belarusian state TV has aired some footage of the speech which showed workers yelling "go away".

The workers of the main Belarusian state television channel BT have taken an open position against Alexander Lukashenko by joining the strikes that are ongoing in the country following the elections.

In addition, the television channel OHT has aired a segment that shows Lukashenko as he intends to give a speech in front of workers, but they chant in protest against him.

The Belarusian state news agency Belta has reported that Lukashenko stated Putin will help him if requested. As Belarus sees continued protests against President Alexander Lukashenko following the elections on Sunday, Lukashenko has now stated that if he requests help to secure the safety of the state, Putin will help.

Putin has yet to confirm the claim and it is unclear if the help would be to shut down protests or only in case of an external threat.

Lukashenko has also been quoted that the consequence for state workers that strike should be to fire them.

During the day thousands of Belarusians have protested peacefully. Workers all across the country have gone on general strike including hospital, metro and factory workers.

Videos have surfaced that show police convoys apparently leaving the area around the independence square in Minsk. Lukashenko has appeared on television claiming that outside forces from Poland, Netherlands, Ukraine, and Russia have infiltrated the country in order to spark protests and destabilize it. He ordered all people to stay in their homes and not go outside.

After the police in Belarus have detained thousands of people during the protests against President Alexander Lukashenko and his alleged election manipulation, the authorities have now started to release some of the imprisoned protesters.

The move comes as the European Union is discussing if new measures will be placed against Alexander Lukashenko or the country of Belarus over the political situation.

The long term authoritarian president of Belarus has received nearly 80 percent of the votes in the elections according to preliminary exit polls. Following the announcement of the preliminary results and the claim from the Honest People association that observers found over 5096 violations, protests have broken out and turned violent.

The internet has gone down for parts of the country as the protests continue. Multiple opposition politicians had been detained by the police over the past days and weeks which already lead to tension upcoming to the election.

With most potential opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko locked up as political prisoners and only one approved opposition candidate, three women in Belarus attempt to bring political change to the Eastern European country.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a foreign language teacher, began her campaign in Minsk, supported by Maria Kolesnikova, and by Veronika Zepkalo. Kolesnikova was the campaign chief of former candidate Viktor Babariko, while Zepkalo is the wife of Valery Tsepkalo, also a former presidential candidate.