Belarus strike action begins

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko ignored an opposition ultimatum to quit Monday as local media showed factory workers and students protesting as part of an intended general strike.

The streets of the capital Minsk were largely deserted on Monday morning, reported the news agency AFP.

Lukashenko's refusal to resign over claims his August 9 reelection was rigged followed renewed mass protests Sunday. Police used stun grenades as more than 100,000 people gathered in Minsk and elsewhere. The Interior Ministry said police made 523 arrests across the country.

Watch video 01:34 Share Clashes in Belarus Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3kQXK Belarus police fire stun grenades at protesters

"The regime has once again showed the Belarusians that violence is the only thing it is capable of,'' said civil rights activist and exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in a statement from neighboring Lithuania.

The latest twist in the standoff was being closely watched Monday by neighboring Russia and Western governments.

Lukashenko scoffed, asking "who will feed the kids?" if workers at state-owned enterprises went on strike.

Students at the Belarusian State University in Minsk carried out a sit-in as part of the general strike

Tsikhanouskaya on her social media Telegram channel called on private businesses, clergy and athletes to join and observe the general strike call.

"Employees of state factories and enterprises, transport workers and miners, teachers and students have gone on strike this morning," she insisted.

The 38-year-old did not provide figures on participation.

But the head of Belarus's Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions, Alexander Yaroshuk, said some unions and workers were ready to follow the strike call.

It was hard to predict turnout would go, "given the authorities' massive pressure," said Yaroshuk.

Accounts of Lukashenko’s crackdown since August include harrowing scenes of abuse in jails, thousands of arrests, and several deaths.

Travel bans and asset freezes against Belarus officials accused of election fraud were recently imposed by the United States, the EU, Britain and Canada.