Minsk, the last protest march of 2020

Decentralized demonstrations took place at different times throughout the day in the capital and throughout the country, confusing the police. 140 people arrested (100 in Minsk alone). Sealed borders for entry and exit. Olga Khizhinkova, former Miss Belarus 2008, is free after 43 days in prison.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The "March of the People's Court" took place yesterday in Minsk and throughout Belarus, on the 134th day of protests against the "illegitimate" election of Aleksandr Lukashenko (photo 1).

Franak Vachorka, member of the Opposition Coordination and spokesman for Svetlana Tikhanovskaja, said it was probably the last organized march of this year, in view of the upcoming holidays and great cold season but also of the identification of new strategies to force Lukhasenko to step aside.

The march on December 20 stood out for its even more complex methods than on previous Sundays, when the processions had already been “decentralized” in the various districts of the cities, to avoid blockades of the Omon and violence (photo 3).

This time it was decided to distribute the processions at different times of the day, from early morning to late evening, to further confuse the police, who are unable to organize themselves accordingly. Despite these tactics, about 140 people were arrested in various cities of the country (about 100 in Minsk alone): the various groups joined in more consistent marches, and also in the suburbs where the Omon had arranged to wait for the demonstrators (photo 4).

Many arrests involve motorists who signalled the presence of policemen with their horns, in order to divert the marches from the most dangerous points, and blocked traffic to prevent the arrival of police avtozaks.

The police generally orient themselves on white-red-white flags, rushing wherever they are displayed (an 87-year-old elderly woman has been fined for the flag on the balcony), and especially keep an eye on high school and university students, the quickest to change protest tactics.

However, the demonstrators' movements were helped by the fact that this Sunday, like the previous one, no cell phone signals were blocked and no subway stations were closed.

The borders of Belarus are almost completely sealed and continuously monitored, even on secondary roads. A $ 30 fine has been announced for any car crossing the border without a permit. The bans on leaving the country were even more tightened starting today 21 December, in view of the break for the end of year holidays. Many have commented on these measures as "a return to Soviet times". At the Belarusian borders with Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland these days there are only long columns of trucks for the transport of commercial goods, arranged in parallel rows and scrupulously controlled by the border police, surrounded by army units.

To comfort the opponents, on Sunday the news came of the release of Olga Khizhinkova (photo 2), former Miss-Belarus in 2008, one of the many "women-symbols" of popular protests, arrested on 8 November last, for participating to protest marches.

Khizhinkova said she stayed several days in a cell full of girls, where the heating had been turned off and they were forced to sleep on the floor, without even a mattress, adding that "I didn't think I had the strength to resist, and above all I didn't I think I had that many friends, inside and outside prison".

• belarus
• russia
• economy
• religious freedom
• eternal leaders
• alexandr lukashenko
• vladimir putin
• Svetlana Tikhanovskaja
• olga Khizhinkova
• catholic church
• tadeusz kondrusiewicz