Video blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who launched a campaign to unseat President Alexander Lukashenko, is arrested.
In 2016, the European Union lifted most of the sanctions it had imposed on Minsk since 2010, the year when the opposition suffered a particularly severe government crackdown.Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, claims the country is not ready to vote for a woman.President Lukashenko accuses both Russia and Poland of"interference" in the presidential campaign, denouncing"fakes" to discredit his rule.
Each one has her own signature gesture: Ms Tikhanovskaya's punched fist, Ms Kolesnikova's hands making a heart shape and Ms Tsepkalo's victory sign.With tension rising in Minsk, Mr Tsepkalo flees to Moscow with his children, citing security concerns, his spokesman announces on July 24.Belarus announces the arrest of more than 30 Russian fighters from private military group Wagner, considered close to the Kremlin, accusing them of seeking to destabilise the run up to the election.
The next day, the head of her campaign is taken into custody after being arrested for the second time in three days.The election takes place, and after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests overnight Sunday, Lukashenko is declared the election winner with 80% of the vote. 10 August
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