Belarus president remains defiant as protest strikes grow

MINSK (AP):

More workers in Belarus joined a widening strike Tuesday to press for the resignation of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has extended his 26-year rule in an election the opposition says was rigged.

Lukashenko has refused to step down following a harsh police crackdown on peaceful protesters in the days after the August 9 vote. In a move intended to secure the loyalty of law enforcement agencies amid the demonstrations and strikes, he signed a decree honouring over 300 police officers for their service.

The opposition denounced the awards as a national insult following the suppression of protests with rubber bullets, stun grenades and clubs. Nearly 7,000 people were detained, hundreds were injured and at least two people died.

The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, insisted the awards weren’t linked to the crackdown that has galvanised public anger and drawn international criticism.

Lukashenko’s actions prompted thousands – including workers at state-controlled factories and plants, actors and broadcasters – to walk off the job.

The prospect of a nationwide shutdown was an unprecedented challenge to Lukashenko, who has relied on blue-collar workers as his base of support. During Monday’s visit to a factory in Minsk he was heckled and jeered by workers shouting “Go away!”

“The authorities should understand that they are losing control,” head of an independent miners’ union, Yuri Zakharov, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Only Lukashenko’s resignation and punishment of those in charge of rigging and beatings can calm us down. The strike will continue and grow until he steps down.”