Mass riots in Minsk. Police stop all attempts to break law

11 августа 2020
Protesters organize mass riots for the 2nd day in Minsk. The police stop all attempts to violate the law both by the participants and by a group of organized provocateurs. The protesters began to build barricades using trash cans on Pritytskogo Street. One of the protesters tried to throw an unidentified explosive device in the direction of law enforcement yesterday, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. 

The device exploded in the man's hand with a fatal outcome. The victim is a 33-year-old resident of Minsk, was once convicted and served a sentence for the murder of a person. 

There were several more violent clashes between rioters and law enforcement officers in Minsk. Protesters threw bottles and pieces of paving slabs at police officers and set off fireworks. 

The servicemen did everything possible to subdue aggressive people. Another riot was held in front of Riga Shopping Center. The protesters erected barricades. Riots took place in other cities of the country. 21 employees of the Internal Affairs bodies were injured, 5 of them were hospitalized. The scenario of riots in all cases was about the same. The coordinators set up provocations for the protesters, then barricades are erected, after which clashes with the police began. 

According to law enforcement officers, as well as residents of a number of cities where riots were noted, there is an unusual accumulation of cars with Russian license plates in their localities, and young people with a clearly Ukrainian accent are identified. The fact that foreign citizens are directly involved in the riots is confirmed by the footage provided by law enforcement agencies. We are getting videos of these people's testimonies.

Law enforcement authorities report that a large number of people with a rich criminal past are among the detainees. They head the street riots, involve in illegal activities people of a very young age. Law enforcement officers and doctors confirm that many of the detainees were under the influence of alcohol and even drugs. The Investigative Committee once again called on citizens not to succumb to the provocations of the organizers of the riots. Sanctions for some actions provide for a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. 

Meanwhile, the Investigation Committee drew attention to the fact that cars that are used to block transport in cities are tools of crime. These cars will be seized from the owners and recognized as evidence.

The IC has already opened 21 criminal cases on mass riots and violence against employees of the Internal Affairs agencies on the night of August 9-10 in Minsk and other cities of the country. More than 80 people were arrested on suspicion of committing crimes. Most of them are young people.

Sergey Rachkov, Chairman of the Permanent Commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus: "Everyone understands these mass riots were encouraged by external and internal forces that would like to change the state system of the Republic of Belarus.  We must not give in to these provocations. We must remember about the future, a peaceful and calm country. We all have children who want to get an education and live in a civilized modern country." 

It became known that former Presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya left Belarus through the checkpoint Kotlovka at 3.30 am. It is located in Lithuania. She published an appeal on the Internet, in which she calls for not to resist the police and not to go out on the square.

There was news on the Internet about the shutdown of some businesses and strikes on them. Such facts weren’t confirmed. Information is displayed on the telegram channels of the organizers of the riots. Meetings of the management of enterprises and organizations with the staff are introduced as strikes.