More arrests in Minsk as protests drive wedge between world powers

01:23

Minsk, and other cities across Belarus, have experienced a weekend of anti-government protests that show no sign of abating.

About 100,000 demonstrators marched in Minsk calling for an end to the rule of the long-standing Belarusian president, Sunday, as the protests that have rocked the country marked their 50th consecutive day.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry said about 200 demonstrators were arrested throughout the country Sunday during marches against Alexander Lukashenko. Police and troops blocked off the center of the city with armored vehicles and water cannons.

An estimated 12,000 people have been arrested since protests began over a month ago. /AFP.

On Saturday, hundreds of women called for the president to step down.

Police blocked off the center of the city and arrested more than 80 demonstrators, according to the Viasna human rights organization. Some of those arrested were chased down by police in building courtyards where they were trying to take refuge, Viasna said.

Belarus, a former Soviet republic, has been rocked by street protests since authorities said Lukashenko won an August 9 election by a landslide. More than 12,000 protesters have been arrested since the election that the opposition denounced as rigged.

The weekend of protests comes as French President Emmanuel Macron told a French newspaper that Lukashenko must accept the logic of democracy and quit power.

'Destabilization and interference'

In an interview with French weekly newspaper, le Journal du Dimanche, Macron said "we are witnessing a power crisis in Belarus with an authoritarian administration that is not able to accept democracy logic."

"It is clear that Lukashenko must go," Macron added.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly the Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei accused Western countries, Saturday, of attempting to sow "chaos and anarchy."

"We are seeing attempts to destabilize the situation in the country," Makei said in a video statement.

"Interference in our internal affairs, sanctions and other restrictions on Belarus will have the opposite effect, and are harmful for absolutely everyone."

This year's United Nation General Assembly has taken place largely via video link. AFP PHOTO / UNITED NATIONS / MANUEL ELIAS

The U.S., UK and Canada are expected to impose sanctions on Belarusian government individuals. However the eastern European nation has allies, with Russan President Vladimir Putin vowing to support Lukashenko. China has urged other countries not to interfere in Belarus's internal politics.

Last week the European Union (EU ) stated that Lukashenko was not the president of Belarus. In turn, Russia said that the bloc's decision not to recognise Lukashenko amounted to indirect meddling in the country.

Is it possible to live peacefully with such men?

• Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, opposition leader

Despite wide-scale detentions of demonstrations and the arrest of many prominent opposition figures, the protests haven't shown signs of abating. Lukashenko further angered opponents this week by taking the oath of office for a new term in an unexpected ceremony.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main election opponent who went into exile in Lithuania after the vote, praised the female demonstrators and derided the police in a statement.

"What about the men themselves, who, hiding their faces, use force against women? Is it possible to live peacefully with such men?" she said.

Video editor: Sam Cordell

Source(s): Reuters ,AP