Belarus

World News

PHOTOS: Belarus' Massive And Unprecedented Protests

1:12pm August 21, 2020

by NPR Staff

Nearly two weeks after an election kept President Alexander Lukashenko in power amid accusations of vote-rigging, massive protests against Lukashenko continue and neither side is backing down.

Protesters gather in front of the Minsk Tractor Works Plant to support workers leaving the plant after their work shift in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday.

World News

EU Blasts Belarus Elections, Readies Sanctions Against Lukashenko Government

11:51am August 19, 2020

by Scott Neuman

The European Union says the Aug. 9 polls in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed an overwhelming victory were "neither free nor fair and do not meet international standards."

Workers of Belaruskali, Belarus' major producer of potash fertilizers, have gone on strike in support of anti-government protests.

World News

Belarus Protests Grow As Russia Warns Germany, France Not To Interfere

4:27pm August 18, 2020

by Scott Neuman

The government of President Alexander Lukashenko is coming under increasing pressure as demonstrations sparked by a disputed election show signs of expanding.

Striking workers participate in anti-government protests on Monday in Minsk, Belarus.

World News

Belarus Factory Workers Walk Out, Joining Mass Protests Calling For President To Quit

1:47pm August 17, 2020

by Scott Neuman

More than a week of protests across the country are aimed at getting President Alexander Lukashenko to step down after 26 years in power. Lukashenko has vowed never to quit.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, candidate for Belarus' presidential election, smiles as she speaks to people during a meeting in her support in Brest, Belarus, on Aug. 2.

World News

Belarus' Opposition Leaders Reemerge After Post-Election Crackdown

5:24pm August 14, 2020

by Lucian Kim

The country's scattered opposition is regaining its footing after President Alexander Lukashenko unleashed his security forces on protesters during four nights of unprecedented violence.

Women hold flowers Thursday in support of demonstrators who were injured or detained during protests critical of election results in Belarus.

World News

Women In Belarus Take To The Streets To Protest Post-Election Crackdown

2:32pm August 13, 2020

Security forces have clashed with demonstrators since Sunday's election, which is widely viewed as fraudulent. Nearly 7,000 have been arrested. And the opposition candidate fled the country.

Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya speaks at a news conference Monday in Minsk, Belarus, after the Belarusian presidential election.

Politics & Government

Belarus Elections End With Landslide Winner — And Massive Protests

6:24pm August 10, 2020

by Lucian Kim

Five-term incumbent Alexander Lukashenko is declared the winner. Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya rejects the results.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, presidential candidate in Belarus elections 2020, makes the symbol of victory in a rally in Minsk.

World News

A 37-Year-Old Opposition Candidate Challenges The Longtime Leader Of Belarus

6:00pm July 31, 2020

by Lucian Kim

"I'm tired of being silent. I'm tired of being afraid," said opposition presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who entered the race after her blogger husband was jailed.

World War II veterans Pyotr Vorobyev (left), 90, and Pavel Yeroshenko, 94, attend a performance in Minsk by the 120th Rogachev Guards Mechanized Brigade of the Belarusian Armed Forces ahead of the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II. Belarus i

In Belarus, World War II Victory Parade Will Go On Despite Rise In COVID-19 Cases

1:10pm May 08, 2020

by Charles Maynes

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the pandemic as mass "psychosis" — a disease easily cured with a bit of vodka, a hot sauna or spending time playing hockey or doing farm work.

Volunteers bury the remains of more than 1,000 Holocaust victims at a cemetery just outside Brest, Belarus, on Wednesday.

More Than 1,000 Holocaust Victims Are Buried In Belarus After Mass Grave Discovered

5:44pm May 22, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

The remains emerged at a construction site in January. "I think it's very late, but better late than never," said Marcel Drimer, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor.