Lukashenka Rules Out Revote As Opposition Gathers For 'National March For Freedom' - Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty

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People are gathering in Minsk and other cities in Belarus in what organizers are hoping will be the biggest outpouring yet of opposition to the reelection of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka as pressure mounts on the authoritarian leader to step down after 26 years in power.

Speaking to a gathering of supporters earlier on August 16 on Independence Square, Lukashenka claimed that NATO tanks and planes had been deployed 15 minutes from the Belarusian border and neighboring countries were ordering the country to hold new elections, something he said he refused to do.

A NATO spokesperson later denied any troop buildup in Eastern Europe, as Lukashenka claimed.

He addressed the crowd as the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had told Lukashenka in a telephone call on August 16 that Russia was ready to provide aid under a military pact if need be, and claimed Belarus was facing unspecified external pressure.

It was their second telephone conversation in as many days.

As Lukashenka spoke, opposition supporters began marching in Minsk, chanting "Leave!" as they walked down Independence Avenue.

Lukashenka was declared the victor of the August 9 election in a landslide, with the main opposition challenger, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, trailing far behind despite drawing huge crowds at campaign rallies across the country.

Tsikhanouskaya, who has since fled to Lithuania, had called for peaceful protests across Belarus on August 15-16.

Some 7,000 people have been detained by police across Belarus in the postelection crackdown, with hundreds injured and at least two killed as police have used rubber bullets, stun grenades, and, in at least one instance, live ammunition.

Hundreds of those held and subsequently released spoke of brutal beatings they suffered in detention, much of it documented and splashed across social media. Thousands more remain in detention as international outrage mounts.

The pro-Lukashenka rally in Minsk was held just hours before the opposition demonstration, setting the stage for potential confrontation between the two groups.

The independent news site Tut.by reported that government workers and other state employees have been told to show up or face being fired.

Metal fencing around Independence Square was being installed early on August 16 with agricultural vehicles used to close off nearby roads.

Opposition media channels say Lukashenka, a onetime manager of a Soviet-era collective farm, was planning to bus people in from other parts of the country.

Video on social media showed people -- many bused in from other regions -- at the pro-Lukashenka rally chanting, "We're for Batka," meaning father, the nickname for Lukashenka.

And in a surprise move, Ihar Leshchenya, the Belarusian ambassador to Slovakia, declared solidarity with protesters in an undated video posted by Nasha Niva media late on August 15. Other state employees, including police officers and state TV staff, have also come out in support of the protests.

Some of the country's biggest state-run industrial plants have been hit by protests and walkouts in the past week.

Meanwhile, thousands came out on August 15 to mourn the death of Alyaksandr Taraykouski who died in Minsk on August 10 during the postelection protests.

Demonstrators heaped flowers at the spot and the crowd chanted "Thank you!" and raised victory signs. Police kept a low profile.

Many held up photographs of protesters beaten during the crackdown, while one man stood in his underwear revealing the purple bruises on his thighs, buttocks and back.

The memorial came as AP published video that appears to contradict the official version of Taraykouski’s death.

The video shows Taraykouski wobbling with a blood-stained shirt before he collapses to the ground several meters from a line of riot police at Pushkinskaya subway station in the capital, Minsk.

According to the official version of events, an explosive device blew up in Taraykouski’s hands as he was trying to throw it at police, but nothing like that can be seen in the video.

Hours later, thousands turned up at the Minsk headquarters to protest state-run media coverage of the protests and what they say is the whitewashing of the authorities harsh handling of demonstrators.

The protesters urged state-media journalists to "respect" their audiences.

A state television lighting technician, Uladzimer Tsitarenka, told RFE/RL that "nearly 80 percent" of the technical staff were ready to join a general strike to protest the election.

"Everything will be decided on Monday [August 17]," he said.

Facing the most serious threat ever to his authoritarian rule, Lukashenka spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15, after saying there was "a threat not only to Belarus."

He later told military chiefs that Putin had offered "comprehensive help" to "ensure the security of Belarus."

The Kremlin said the leaders agreed the "problems" in Belarus would be "resolved soon" and the countries' ties strengthened.

A rally in support of Lukashenka is due to take place at noon in Minsk on August 16. The independent news site Tut.by said government workers and other state employees have been told to show up or face being fired.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on August 15 urged Lukashenka to "engage with civil society", during a trip to Poland, which has offered to act as a mediator.

Demonstrators are demanding that the election results be invalidated, that a new election be held under a new Central Election Commission, and that all political prisoners be released.

The election commission declared Lukashenka the winner of the election with some 80 percent. Tsikhanouskaya says she won 60 to 70 percent of the vote.

In a joint statement on August 15, the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania called on Belarus to conduct a new, "free and fair" vote, to refrain from violence, and release political prisoners and detained protesters.

The European Union on August 14 ratcheted up pressure on Lukashenka by agreeing to prepare new sanctions on those responsible for the violence and falsification of the vote.

Tsikhanouskaya said that she was initiating the creation of a “Coordination Council" for a potential transition of power. She’s also called on the international community to "help us in organizing a dialogue with Belarusian authorities.”

With reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Current Time, and AFP

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Lukashenka Rules Out Revote As Opposition Gathers For 'National March For Freedom' - Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty
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