Belarus vote protests go into 3rd day

Demonstrators rally despite opposition hopeful’s exit, police crackdown

A elderly man talks with riot police officers Tuesday in Minsk, Be- larus. More photos at arkansasonline.com/812belarus/ (AP/Sergei Grits)
A elderly man talks with riot police officers Tuesday in Minsk, Be- larus. More photos at arkansasonline.com/812belarus/ (AP/Sergei Grits)

MINSK, Belarus -- The top opposition candidate in Belarus' presidential election left for Lithuania Tuesday but anti-government demonstrators still turned out for a third straight night to protest the vote results, despite a massive police crackdown that prompted a warning of possible European Union sanctions.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, 37, a former English teacher who entered the race after her husband's jailing in Belarus, apologized to her backers in a video statement and said it was her own choice to leave the country.

"It was a very hard decision to make," Tsikhanouskaya said. "I know that many of you will understand me, many others will condemn me and some will even hate me. But God forbid you ever face the choice that I faced."

In another video statement released later Tuesday, she urged her supporters to respect the law and to avoid clashes with police.

[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnWeIdPhgRs]

The statements marked an abrupt about-face for Tsikhanouskaya hours after she dismissed the official results of Sunday's election that showed President Alexander Lukashenko winning a sixth term with a landslide 80% of the vote, and her getting just 10%.

Her campaign aides said she made the unexpected moves under duress. Tsikhanouskaya's husband, an opposition blogger who had hoped to run for president, has been jailed since his arrest in May.

"It's very difficult to resist pressure when your family and all your inner circle have been taken hostages," Maria Kolesnikova, a top associate of Tsikhanouskaya's, said.

The former candidate's campaign put out a statement urging authorities to engage in a dialogue with protesters on a "peaceful transition of power."

The authoritarian Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million since 1994, has derided the opposition as "sheep" manipulated by foreign masters and vowed to continue taking a tough position on protests despite Western rebukes over the election.

Thousands of opposition supporters protesting the election results encountered aggressive police tactics in the capital of Minsk and several other Belarusian cities.

On Monday, a protester died amid clashes in Minsk and scores were injured as police used tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets to disperse them. The Interior Ministry said the victim intended to throw an explosive device, but it blew up in his hand and killed him.

Belarus' health officials said over 200 people have been hospitalized with injuries following the protests, and some underwent surgery.

Heavy police cordons blocking Minsk's central squares and avenues didn't discourage the demonstrators who again took to the streets chanting "Shame!" and "Long live Belarus!"

Police moved quickly Tuesday to separate and disperse scattered groups of protesters in the capital, but new pockets of resistance kept mushrooming across downtown Minsk.

Officers detained dozens and used stun grenades and rubber bullets to break up the crowds. Clashes between police and the protesters continued well into Tuesday night.

The ministry said Tuesday more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized.

The previous day, the ministry reported more than 3,000 detentions and said 89 people were injured, including 39 law enforcement officers.

Several journalists have been injured, and some were detained by police. On Tuesday, police seized memory cards from a group of photographers, including an AP photographer, as they were photographing of the crackdown.

Polish media reported that Polish journalist Jan Roman, who works with TV Polonia, was beaten on Monday at a police station in Grodno, a city near the Polish border, and is currently in a hospital.

As the Internet has remained down across the country for a third straight day in what appears to be an attempt by the authorities to make it harder for protesters to coordinate their efforts, thousands of Belarusians have struggled to find out what happened to their missing relatives.

[Gallery not loading above? Click here for more photos » arkansasonline.com/812belarus/]

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Tuesday that the 27-nation bloc is mulling action against those involved in the police crackdown or against officials who might have interfered with the vote. Borrell said the elections "were neither free nor fair," and called on Minsk to begin a dialogue with society to avoid further violence.

Information for this article was contributed by Vladimir Isachenkov, Daria Litvinova, Liudas Dapkus, Lorne Cook, Mike Corder, Vanessa Gera and Edith Lederer of The Associated Press.

Police detain a protester as two women try to defend him during a mass rally following presidential elections in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Police detain a protester as two women try to defend him during a mass rally following presidential elections in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Police block a square during a mass protest following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, early Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo)
Police block a square during a mass protest following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, early Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo)
A woman holding her child speaks on an intercom to learn about her relative, who was detained during mass rally following presidential election, at a detention center in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A woman holding her child speaks on an intercom to learn about her relative, who was detained during mass rally following presidential election, at a detention center in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Friends and relatives of those detained during mass rally following presidential election gather at a detention center in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Friends and relatives of those detained during mass rally following presidential election gather at a detention center in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Police officers kick a demonstrator on the ground, during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo)
Police officers kick a demonstrator on the ground, during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo)
Friends and relatives of those detained during mass rally following presidential election gather at a detention center in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Friends and relatives of those detained during mass rally following presidential election gather at a detention center in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Tuesday that more than 2,000 people were detained across the country for taking part in unsanctioned protests on Monday evening and overnight. It added that 21 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters, and five of them were hospitalized. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
People help a wounded demonstrator during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo)
People help a wounded demonstrator during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo)
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, candidate for the presidential elections, speaks at a news conference after the Belarusian presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020.The country's central election commission said that with all ballots counted, Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for 26 years, took 80.23% of the vote and his main opposition challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, had only 9.9%. "We don't recognize these results," Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher and political novice, told reporters Monday. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, candidate for the presidential elections, speaks at a news conference after the Belarusian presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020.The country's central election commission said that with all ballots counted, Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for 26 years, took 80.23% of the vote and his main opposition challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, had only 9.9%. "We don't recognize these results," Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher and political novice, told reporters Monday. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Police use truncheons on protesters during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Police use truncheons on protesters during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Thousands of people have protested in Belarus for a second straight night after official results from weekend elections gave an overwhelming victory to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, extending his 26-year rule. A heavy police contingent blocked central squares and avenues, moving quickly to disperse protesters and detained dozens. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

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AP

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, candidate for the presidential elections, attends a news conference after the Belarusian presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. The country's central election commission said that with all ballots counted, Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for 26 years, took 80.23% of the vote and his main opposition challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, had only 9.9%. "We don't recognize these results," Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher and political novice, told reporters Monday. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

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