Belarus Authorities Vow to Punish Agitators as Hundreds Detained

(Bloomberg) -- Belarusian authorities said it will punish opposition bloggers with criminal charges, increasing the pressure after President Alexander Lukashenko’s surprise inauguration triggered a night of protests, clashes and arrests.

“Not a single blogger, not a single person who committed a crime not just during the unsanctioned rallies but also on the internet, will evade responsibility,” Prosecutor General Andrey Shved said at a meeting with law enforcement officers in Minsk Thursday, according to state-owned news service Belta.

Lukashenko is facing the biggest protests of his 26-year rule after the disputed Aug. 9 elections, which he claimed to win by a landslide. Western governments have supported the opposition, saying the vote was rigged. Daily rallies in the capital of Minsk have swelled to more than 100,000 people on Sundays for the past six weeks.

The police accused the peaceful protests of taking on a “violent character” and detained 364 people across the country on Wednesday, most of them in Minsk, according to the Interior Ministry’s official Telegram channel. Local media, including some the country’s largest news websites, published videos of people blocking streets and riot police making arrests and smashing car windows with batons.

Lukashenko was sworn in for his sixth term as the country’s president in a surprise ceremony on Wednesday. A number of Western governments, including Germany and Lithuania, have refused to recognize his legitimacy. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she is the only leader elected by the Belarusian people.

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