MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2020) People gathered on Thursday at the Minsk automobile Plant in the Belarusian capital to demand the withdrawal of special police units from the streets of the city and an end of violence, and to call for fair elections.
Workers of the Terrazyt Plus factory in the city of Hrodna and the BelAZ manufacturer in Zhodzina also previously made similar demands.
"Resignation of the incumbent government, an end to persecution and a drop of charges against people and an end to violence, as well as the release of political detainees and the holding of fair elections," were among the demands voiced at BelAZ, whose workers have already returned to work.
At the same time, the company's press service told Sputnik that there was no strike or stoppage of work at the enterprise, but rather a meeting with the plant's management and the Zhodzina city administration.
Unsanctioned mass protests have been ongoing in Belarus since the late hours of Sunday, when the first election results showed incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko secure his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote, and the opposition challenged the outcome.
The unrest has grown increasingly violent, with one confirmed fatality. Protesters have attempted to hurl Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers, causing the police to respond with tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades and detentions. internet access was cut in Minsk and other Belarusian cities until Wednesday morning. The Belarusian authorities say that professional instigators are coordinating the unrest by managing the crowd and urging people to act.
