BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
26/03/2008
Belarus protests turn violent
MINSK, Belarus, March 26 (UPI) -- The opposition leader in Belarus said the government ordered a police crackdown on independence celebrations seen as a protest against its authoritarian image.
Alexander Milinkevich said his supporters gathered in the capital Minsk for peaceful demonstrations marking the country's 90th anniversary of independence, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.
"People were carrying flowers. The brutal suppression and beatings of demonstrators, journalists and even elderly people show that the authorities are afraid of us," Milinkevich said.
Police tried to break up rallies using batons and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, who waved the flag of the European Union and cried "Long Live Belarus," EuroNews.net said.
The rallies are seen as an opposition to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian image. The United States dubbed Lukashenko as "Europe's last dictator" and Washington banned him from traveling to the country over his crackdown on dissent.
Source:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/03/26/belarus_protests_turn_violent/6202/
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