Kiev Residents Rally In Solidarity With Belarusians Against Presidential Election Results

Kiev Residents Rally in Solidarity With Belarusians Against Presidential Election Results

A peaceful rally in solidarity with Belarusians protesting against the recent presidential election results was held on the glass bridge near the Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kiev, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2020) A peaceful rally in solidarity with Belarusians protesting against the recent presidential election results was held on the glass bridge near the Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kiev, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday.

Since Monday, rallies in solidarity with Belarusian protesters opposing the outcome of the presidential vote have been taking place near the country's embassy in the Ukrainian capital.

About 200 youngsters holding white flowers and white-red-white flags of Belarus, the country's official flag before 1995, have formed a human chain of solidarity on the glass bridge. The protesters also held posters saying "Long live Belarus" and "Violence is a sign of powerlessness," among others. They sang a lullaby in the Belarusian language, after which formed a big heart on the square near the People's Friendship Arch and dispersed.

Mass protests have been ongoing in Belarus since the late hours of Sunday, when the first election results showed Lukashenko secure his sixth term with over 80 percent of the vote, and the opposition challenged the outcome.

The demonstrations have been harshly suppressed by the security forces, with law enforcement officers using tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets on protesters. Hundreds of people, including more than 100 security officers, were injured in clashes that erupted. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, one protester was killed as a result of the blast of an unidentified explosive device in his hand that he tried to trow at law enforcement officers during riots late on Monday. Meanwhile, over 6,500 people, including domestic and foreign journalists, were arrested.