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In 2020, demonstrators took to the streets in major Belarusian cities, including the capital, Minsk. Authorities had recently clamped down on large gatherings, so protest leaders encouraged their support base to convene in smaller groups at designated meeting points (Al Jazeera). The many thousands still willing to turn out every Sunday face the prospect of police brutality and incarceration; they do so in the name of democracy - and more specifically, to contend a fraudulent election result in August that saw President Lukashenko re-elected for his sixth term with 80.10% of the official vote.

Sitting President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko had previously authorized the Belarusian security forces to use lethal force against opposition protesters, according to a new released tape of the country’s deputy interior minister captured by the organization “By_Pol.” The tape originates from October 2020 and on January 14 2021 was made public, fueling new criticism by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenko in an election last August, and said the voice in the recording was that of a senior interior ministry official. Officials do not confirm the authenticity of the tape. The tape also revealed plans to build “resettlement” camps for the indefinite resettlement of persons who have repeatedly taken part in the protests. Additionally the tape confirms that the special forces mortally wounded a protester in Minsk on the day after the 2020 presidential elections.

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