Belarus is engulfed in mass detentions. The first wave pounded the country immediately after the August 9 vote, as law enforcers began detaining independent observers without cause. The magnitude of detentions accelerated as people took to the streets protesting the falsified results of the elections and are ongoing. Since August 11, at least 5,000 people have been detained as reported by local media. EuroMaidan Press talked to the mother of one of the observers who had gone missing for two days. She was finally found in detention, sentenced to 15 days in confinement. The interview took place via mobile since the internet has been shut down across the country. This is but one of hundreds of stories illustrating how the dictatorship regime of incumbent President Aleksander Lukashenko represses its people.
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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk on August 9, 2020.
