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Crisis in Belarus

Lukashenko warns protesters against violating law

Lukashenko disagreed with the opinion of many protesters who claim that their rallies are largely peaceful and do not violate the law

MINSK, November 2. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Monday that he does not mind dissent but accused protesters of violating law and warned that "there are no free passes" for that.

"I am not against dissent," BelTA news agency quoted him as saying. "I cannot exist in a space that has no other point of view. I believe that I came to power from rational and self-aware opposition."

The Belarusian leader noted that alternative opinions are always voiced during official meetings that he holds. "When we gather a meeting, we postpone it if there aren’t two or three points of views. Why gather then? That is why I support points of views and dissent. But I categorically oppose it when law is violated," he stressed.

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Lukashenko disagreed with the opinion of many protesters who claim that their rallies are largely peaceful and do not violate the law. He underscored that citizens join unauthorized protests, which makes them illegal. "They are not even peaceful rallies now," the president emphasized. "You disrupt public order, attack the police and so on, there is a whole bunch of violations. What free passes can there be if you violate the law?" he pointed out.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

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