Dozens Gather Near Belarusian Embassy In Moscow To Show Solidarity With Protesters

MOSCOW/RIGA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) Dozens of people gathered near the Belarusian embassy in central Moscow on Wednesday to express solidarity with protesters in their home country, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

The situation is calm. Some of people linked their hands to form a human chain. Law enforcement officers are observing the event. At least ten police buses are parked opposite the embassy's main entrance.

"We have come here to support peaceful citizens who participate in peaceful rallies in Belarus. We are all from Belarus, I was born and raised there and I am worried about what is now happening there," one of the participants said.

In parallel, several hundred people staged a picket near the Belarusian embassy in Riga. The participants carried balloons of the colors of the opposition Belarusian flag (white-red-white) and pictures of President Alexander Lukashenko with drops of blood dripping from his mustache. Dozens of police officers were also on a standby.

Unsanctioned mass protests have been ongoing in Belarus since Sunday evening, when the first election results showed incumbent President Lukashenko secure his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote, and the opposition challenged the outcome.

During the first days of unrest, protesters erected barricades and hurled Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers. The police responded with tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades and detentions. According to the interior ministry, one man died while attempting to throw an unidentified explosive device at law enforcement officers.