Mass rallies and police data leak in Belarus keep pressure on Lukashenko

(Reuters) - More than 100,000 people marched through Minsk on Sunday on the sixth straight weekend of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, keeping up the pressure on the veteran Belarusian leader to quit.

Law enforcement officers detain a man during an opposition rally to demand the resignation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko more than a month after the disputed presidential election, in Minsk, Belarus September 20, 2020. Tut.By via REUTERS

Many walked in a vast column that stretched back several kilometres, decked out in red-and-white opposition colours and chanting “go away” as helmeted riot police patrolled the streets with water canons on hand, a witness said.

Several protesters were dragged away from the crowd by security forces. In the city centre, riot police rhythmically beat their shields as a warning sound while several people threw glass bottles at them.

Videos shared by local media outlets showed security forces in helmets or masks hauling protesters off the streets in simultaneous protests in other cities.

The eastern European country was plunged into turmoil following a presidential election last month that Lukashenko says he won by a landslide but the opposition says was rigged.

In power for 26 years, the former Soviet collective farm manager has shown scant inclination to resign, buoyed by support from Russia.

The European Union vowed weeks ago to impose sanctions on Minsk for alleged election fraud and human rights abuses, but is likely to miss its own Monday deadline for action.

In tandem with the protests, anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 police officers in retaliation for a crackdown in which thousands of people have been detained, many complaining of beatings and torture in jail.

The government has denied abusing detainees.

The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenko’s ability to cling on to power. Their faces are often obscured by masks, balaclavas or riot helmets. Some protesters have torn the masks off some officers.

“As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale,” said a statement distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. “No one will remain anonymous even under a balaclava.”

The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data, which was widely distributed on Telegram channels on Saturday evening.

“The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs bodies make it possible to identify and prosecute the overwhelming majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet,” said Olga Chemodanova, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

At least 80 people were detained across the country on Sunday, the human rights group Spring-96 said.

The Russian news agency TASS said at least ten people had been held, citing police. The government typically releases the final figures the following day.

Footage shared by Belarusian media outlets showed police dragging people from the front of a column of protesters who had linked arms in the western city of Brest, and firing spray from a bottle into the face of one of them. One security officer fired a warning shot into the air in a separate incident.

Metro stations were closed in central Minsk and the mobile internet disrupted for several hours.

The government said 390 women were detained for taking part in a protest on Saturday. Most have been released.

Minsk reacted angrily on Saturday to reports that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leading opposition candidate in last month’s election, could soon meet EU foreign ministers.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also criticised the EU for inviting Tsikhanouskaya to the ministerial meeting as well as for considering sanctions against Minsk, saying Brussels was trying to “rock the boat” in Belarus.

Russia sees Belarus as a strategic buffer state against the EU and NATO, and has accused the United States of fomenting revolution in its neighbour.

Moscow agreed to give a $1.5 billion loan to prop up Lukashenko’s government following a meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus will channel about $330 million of its new loan to cover its outstanding debt to Russian gas giant Gazprom GAZP.MM, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was quoted by TASS as saying.