Russia says ‘many criminals’ among Belarus opposition protesters

Claim comes as human rights charities condemn mass arrests of pro-democracy supporters in Belarus

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov pictured in Geneva, Switzerland, on 25 February, 2020. (REUTERS)

Russia’s foreign minister has claimed that “many criminals” have been taking part in pro-democracy protests in Belarus.

Sergei Lavrov made the allegation on Thursday, before suggesting that the funding the Belarusian opposition was an attempt to drive a wedge between Belarus and Russia.

His words refer to the peaceful mass demonstrations that have been held each week across the country since its disputed election on 9 August.

At these events over the last three months, tens of thousands of protesters have called for the resignation of Alexander Lukashenko, now in his sixth presidential term.

Mr Lukashenko’s election victory has been widely discredited, with the European Union (EU) condemning the vote as “neither free nor fair” and accusing the president of ruling without “democratic legitimacy”.

The EU has also criticised the Belarussian authorities’ for their “violent repression and intimidation of peaceful demonstrators” and has consequently brought sanctions against 15 figures in the country, including the president, for their roles in the crackdown.

Despite criticism from abroad, the Belarusian government continues to clamp down on opposition supporters. 

Human Rights Watch, an international NGO, said that more than a thousand protesters were arrested during peaceful protests on Sunday, the highest daily number seen since early August.

Riot police and water cannons were deployed in central Minsk, where most of the arrests were made, according to the charity.

This spike in the number of detentions came just days after the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issued a report documenting “massive and systematic” human rights abuses in the country - both before and after the election.

As a result, the organisation has called for an international inquiry into all reports of torture and ill-treatment.