Belarusians took to the streets of the capital Minsk on Nov. 15, 2020 in a fresh demonstration against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, as anger mounted over the recent death of an opposition activist.
Roman Bondarenko, a 31-year-old painter, was supected to have been killed by police after an altercation with men in civilian clothing in the courtyard of a building in the Belarusian capital.
Witnesses say that they saw Bondarenko being abducted by police after engaging in a scuffle with indiviudals who were attempting to remove red and white ribbons used to display opposition to the Lukashenko regime.
A spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell placed the blame squarely on the Belarusian authorities, stating that Bondarenko died “by the brutality of plain-clothed policemen.”
According to RFE/RL, a short time later Bondarenko was brought to a hospital with severe head trauma and later died there.
The European Union and the Ukrainian government have condemned the painter’s death, with the EU threatening to increase sanctions on the Belarusian regime. To date, the EU has sanctioned 55 key figures in the Lukashenko goverment over their role in the violent repression of protestors.
The protests over alleged election rigging have entered into their 25th week, yet the protestors still have not managed to dislodge the Belarusian strongman. The protestors have rallied around the opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was forced into exile after contesting the results of the Belarusian elections.
Lukashenko has vowed not to hand over power and has brutally cracked down on opposition protestors. Last month, the Interior Ministry of Belarus issued a threat to protestors, stating that it would use live ammunition on protestors “if neccessary.”
