After 16 years in office, illegitimate President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko appeared headed for another five-year term in a controversial election Sunday, December 19th, 2010, that was quickly followed by violent late-night street clashes and accusations of vote fraud from human rights groups and opposition presidential candidates.
Final results announced by the State's Central Election Commission indicated that Lukashenko received 79.7% of the vote, after 100% was counted. Nevertheless, exit-polls' data, conducted by EcooM experts, show that only 72% of people have voted for the current head of state. The second place has been given to Andrey Sannikov, followed by Vladimir Neklyaev (4-5% of the vote).
Moreover, and what is interesting and, probably, close to real results of the elections is the exit-polls by TNS Ukraine which indicates that only about 40% of Belarusians voted for Lukashenko.
According to TNS, Alexander Lukashenko, in the first round of the presidential elections in Belarus, gained less than 50% of votes. By the way, TNS Ukraine is officially registered by the Belarusian Central Election Commission. And according to TNS Ukraine, Lukashenka has got 42% of votes, followed by opposition candidate Vladimir Neklyaev with 17%, followed by Andrey Sannikov with 13% of votes.
There is no surprise that another presidential elections in Belarus has evolved along with the old scenario; the voting was forged, once again the opposition was not allowed to take part in vote counting, observers witnessed numerous violations, many voters were forced by officials to take part in the pre-election, the candidates for President had no access to the television and other media - just like during the last 16 years.
To raise a protest against the fraud, six oppositional candidates for President - Andrey Sannikov, Vladimir Neklayev, Grigoriy Kostusev, Yaroslav Romanchuk, Vitaliy Rymashevskiy and Nikolay Statkevich - called upon people to come to October Square in Minsk on December 19th at 8:00 pm.
At 8:40 pm thousands gathered in the square. Just before that it was announced that the headquarters of Vladimir Neklayev were seized by the special police forces. Activists of Neklayev´s campaign were supposed to bring loudspeakers to the square, but special police units seized the vehicle with the equipment. Everyone was forced to lie down facing the ground. The candidate himself was beaten up and driven away in an ambulance. The equipment was confiscated.
Nevertheless, several loudspeakers reached the square, where candidates for President - Andreiy Sannikov, Nikolay Statkevich, Vitaliy Rymashevskiy, Grigoriy Kostusiov, Yaroslav Romanchuk, and Dmitriy Uss - had arrived. The candidates addressed tens of thousands of people who had gathered there, and announced that according to independent exit-polls, Lukashenko had got only 31% in the entire country. He lost the election and the second round was to be expected.
"If there is no second round, then Lukashenko is indeed a tyrant and dictator," Sergei Kalyakin, the head of the campaign "For Faire Election" said. Furthermore, he described the fraud taking place during the voting and claimed the election to be another farce.
October Square was entirely filled with people. Even the skating ring deliberately arranged to cover nearly the entire square did not stop the demonstrators - they were standing on the ice. People were chanting "Lukashenko, Go Away!", "We demand free election!", "New election without Lukashenko!"
Candidate for President Andrey Sannikov announced the collapse of Lukashenko´s regime and declared a newly established Government of National Rescue. The Government of National Rescue would include the democratic candidates for President who had come to the square.
The candidates claimed that another, free election - this time without Lukashenko - must be negotiated with the government. Those who had gathered on the square started moving along the Independence Avenue towards the Independence Square.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians filled the avenue, both the road and the pavement. The crowd demanded new and free election, and their slogans were heard all over the city center. Drivers left their cars and joined the rally. The demonstrators called their friends´ cell phones and urged them to come to the square, to raise the protest, not to be afraid.
Loudspeakers were installed on the Independence Square, and on behalf of all the candidates for the President who were there (at that moment, all candidates who claimed their protest were there, apart from Yaroslav Romanchuk), Andrey Sannikov announced that the Government of National Rescue was ready to negotiate with the authorities.
The candidates for President demanded to be let in to the Government building in order to hold a peaceful talks.
At that time, the demonstrators moved to decisive actions. Hundreds of strong men approached the entrance to the Government building and knocked to the doors. The windows shattered revealing closets! The doors of the House of Government were barricaded from the people. The closets were dammed up by special police units.
During 20 minutes the demonstrators tried to throw down the closets and enter the building. Slogans "Lukashenko, Go away!" and "We want talks!" were heard from the square.
Meanwhile, hundreds of fully equipped soldiers of special interior forces ran out from the left wing of the Government building. They had military boots, helmets and shields. The soldiers attacked the people and started to beat them up. The demonstrators were falling down on the ice. They were trampled and kicked. There, under the feet of special police units, was charter97.org editor Natalia Radzina. The police were beating her up and kicking her in her head, until someone from the crowd dragged her from under their feet.
According to witnesses, the police were holding electroshockers. Moreover, unknown gas was used against the demonstrators. All that made people move away from the entrance to the Government building, but nobody left the square.
The people remained standing on the square chanting "We want talks!" It was announced then that the talks would be held. The candidates approached the House of Government; high military officials who had just arrived to the square were heading the same way.
And at that moment, when the negotiations were already on (!), thousands (!) of soldiers of special forces ran out from behind the building and started to beat up the demonstrators. Ten military trucks drove out to the square; hundreds of people were beaten up and "packed" to the trucks.
Shortly after that, candidate for President Andrey Sannikov was pushed on the ground and beaten up. When he and his wife were about to drive to the hospital, their car was stopped. Sannikov was dragged ouside, beaten up once again and driven away. His wife Irina Khalip was pushed to another car; the police beat her head against glass.
Meanwhile, the Independence Square was surrounded by trucks with the military. Soldiers equipped with body armor and helmets formed a chain preventing people from approaching the House of Government, while special police units were beating up and detaining the demonstrators.
After that the special forces blocked all avenues so that nobody could walk out to the street again.
According to human rights activists, from 200 to 500 people were detained. They were taken to the special distribution station on Okrestina Street and to the temporary prison of Zhodino. Candidates for President Kostusev, Statkevich and Rymashevsky were arrested after the rally, along with Andrey Sannikov. Natalia Koliada, the head of the Belarusian Free Theater, was also arrested. Head of the human rights service of the civil initiative European Belarus Lidia Chistova is at the hospital with a cranio-cerebral trauma. Hundreds of people were assaulted; some of them were taken to the hospital of Interior Ministry with cranio-cerebral traumas and smashed heads.
Information about arrests and detentions was coming during the whole night of December 20th, 2010. Special Forces officials in civil uniforms took Vladimir Neklayev right from the hospital bed. Leader of the United Civil Party Anatoliy Lebedko was detained at his home.
The Belarusians were again urged to come out to the Independence Square on December 20th, at 6:00 pm. "We will not leave! We must fight for our freedom and our choice!" claimed the opposition leaders. Now we must fight for the liberation of the candidates for President, whom the people of Belarus have given their votes.
Also during the suppress of the demonstration against the falsifications in Minsk in the evening on December 19th, 2010 various journalists were beaten up.
Injured in different scale where the journalists: Natalia Radina (charter97.org), Ruslan Gorbachev (gazeta.by), Viktor Tolochko (BelTA), Ales Piletsky («Nasha Niva»), John Hill (The New York Times)
Irina Khalip, correspondent of the Russian newspaper «Novaya Gazeta», wife of the candidate to the presidency of Belarus Andrey Sannikov, was detained. About 500 people were arrested that night.
The special forces where beating us at heads. If someone woudn't have taken me away from their boots - they would have definitely killed me. It seems I have a concussion, but I've got to continue working», told BelaPAN the editor of charter97.org Natalia Radina.
There is a report that several cameramen from the Russia Today TV Channel Anton Kharchenko and Viktor Filiaev, photographer Andrey Lenkevich are injured. Correspondents of the web-portal tut.by Konstantin Lashkevich and photocorrespondent of «BelGazeta» Vadim Zamirovsky are detained.
Non-Free Non-Fair Presidential Elections 2010 Confirmed Belarus as the Last Dictatorship in Europe!
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