Belarus sees a year of fierce repression after disputed vote
ABC News
President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since taking power in 1994
KYIV, Ukraine -- Belarusian authorities long ago removed the makeshift memorial to a protester shot by police at the start of last year's massive protests against the country's autocratic president, replacing flowers and placards with a garbage can. Alexander Taraikovsky died as protests swelled, a day after President Alexander Lukashenko's reelection to a sixth term in the Aug. 9, 2020, presidential vote that the opposition denounced as rigged. Police dispersed the peaceful demonstrators with rubber bullets, stun grenades and clubs in a stunningly brutal crackdown. Lukashenko earned the nickname of “Europe’s last dictator” in the West for his relentless repression of dissent since taking the helm in 1994. But when last year's protests presented him with an unprecedented challenge, he responded with an unusual ferociousness. That turned out to be the opening salvo in a year of intense repression, the most shocking example of which was the arrest of a journalist after his flight was forced to divert to Belarus. Authorities first claimed that Taraikovsky, 34, was killed when an explosive device he intended to throw at police blew up in his hands, but Associated Press video showed that he had no explosives when he fell to the ground. Officials later acknowledged that Taraikovsky might have been killed by a rubber bullet. But they never opened an inquiry.More Related News