| 2019 Belarusian protests | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofBelarusian opposition movement | |||
_02.jpg) Anti-Lukashenko protesters on 8 December inMinsk | |||
| Date | December 7, 2019 (2019-12-07) – January 4, 2020 (2020-01-04) | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by |
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| Goals |
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| Methods | Demonstrations,rallies | ||
| Resulted in | Protests evolved into the2020-2021 election protests | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Number | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| Arrested | 13 demonstrators | ||
The2019 Belarusian protests were directed against the further integration into aUnion State with Russia. Demonstrations were held inMinsk andPolotsk from 7 to 29 December 2019, however, last protests ended on 4 January 2020. They were led by Belarusian youth activistPaval Sieviaryniec.
Since Alexander Lukashenko's rise to power in 1994, Belarus began to reinforce relations with Russia. One of the main decisions was to create aUnion State on 7 April 1997 inMoscow with the then-President of RussiaBoris Yeltsin. Those pro-Russian movement caused multiple protests byBelarusian nationalists andpro-democracy activists, with twoFreedom Marches in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Other protests, like in2006,2010,2011, and2017, also had anti-Union State with Russia sentiment, which also sparked the 2019 protests.
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On 7 December 2019,Belarusian Young Front leader called the Minsk residents to go tostreet protests. In result, around 730 people made ahuman chain from theIndependence Avenue to theOctober Square, and then went to the centre of the capital.[1]Militsiya warned that the Minsk Executive Committee didn't permit the rally, but did not used force against protesters. Another demonstration took place on 8 December. No one was arrested, except the car driver who honked at the opposition supporters.[2]Opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky was one of the leading figures during the protests, and appeared on 19 December.
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Despite not using force, Militsiya created warning reports for 40 demonstrators, so on 20 December, when negotiations on integration took place inSt. Petersburg, there were less demonstrators than earlier who gathered at the October Square and march to theIndependence Square, when they organized a rally.[3][4] The protest was repeated on 21 December, this time there was an integration supporter among other protesters.[5]
On 29 December, another demonstration took place on theOctober Square where another opposition leaderVyacheslav Siuchyk [pl] demanded that the authorities disclose the content of the integration plans.
On 4 January 2020, an anti-integration protest was also held inPolotsk.[6]
In December 2019 and January 2020, trials of demonstrators were held in Minsk and Polotsk. 13 people were arrested, including a protest organizator, who was charged with the 34,5 thousands ofBelarusian ruble fine.[7]
The protests caused the emergence ofSergei Tikhanovsky as a new popular opposition leader.
