8:05 am Russian media attack Belarusian opposition and praise Lukashenka. Editor in chief of Russia Today @M_Simonyan said that IQ-score of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Belarus opposition leader) is 82 and compared her to an orangutan.
8:28 am Representatives of the MWTP strike community, who tried handing out leaflets supporting strike action at the factory’s gates, faced police resistance and were forced to leave the area.
8:30 am The house of former Minister and Ambassador Pavel Latushka, who sided with the opposition, was vandalized. His family fled the country, Latushka {was not at} home Latushka is the only committee member with ‘presidential’ statue and the necessary administrative experience at that level. Pavel Latushko was also fired from the post of Kupala Theatre director for publicly announcing his political position. In his interview to BBC Latushko said that now he is facing considerable pressure and threats, forcing him to leave Belarus.
9:06 am “Komsomolskaya Pravda” in Belarus was unable to publish its latest issue on August 20 in the House of Printing. The printing Press was broken, – they say.
9:15 am A journalist from Netherlands, Emily van Outeren, was hurt during a peaceful protest in Belarus. She spent two days in hospital and then wrote a report on these events.
9:16 am People detained during peaceful protests in Pinsk were released.
9:23 am The results of the meeting of the Security Council led by Lukashenka were published. The attention of the repressive apparatus will be focused on the banking sector. Among the measures being considered:
- a ban on operations in foreign currencies (without permission from the KGB);- a ban on transactions with foreign partners;
- a freeze of deposits (under the guise of checking the origin of funds).
- the possibility of blocking transactions for relatively large amounts (for the same reason).
The practical results of the above steps will seriously undermine the economy.
9:29 am Employees of the National Research and Development Center of Cardiology continue their part in a rally against violence every day.
9:45 am MAZ employees spoke out about the strike, their fears and hopes. Factory’ workers are threatened with fines for unauthorized absence, deprivation of bonuses and dismissals for participation in rallies, strikes and protests during working hours. “Lukashenka thinks he will make us work.” Those workers who are on strike and who may suffer financially from their action, will be provided financial aid from the fund which collected more than $ 1.1 million in aid.
9:58 am Gynecologists continue to anonymously inform about the presence in hospitals of a large number of men and women who were raped during the detentions from 9 till 11 of August. Gynecologists are afraid to talk publicly about it. Almost all victims require psychological assistance.
10:05 am Tsikhanouskaya had a meeting with Lithuanian Prime-minister Saulius Skvernelis. He called Tsikhanouskaya the national leader of Belarus, and promised to support all people in Belarus who fight for freedom and democracy. The Prime Minister announced this on his Facebook.
10:28 am Today the authorities plan to hold compulsory pickets in support of Lukashenka throughout Belarus.
10:32 am “Trash TV continues to make enemies out of free people, and we must convey to every Belarusian what this power was doing.” Belarusian shot putter, world and European champion in track and field athletics Nadezhda Ostapchuk said in a tough statement. “When you see the driven slaves with flags, show them photos of the beaten detainees directly into their faces and tell them that they support the killer. Let it be on their conscience, if they have it, of course,” Ostapchuk wrote on Facebook.
11:38 am The editor-in-chief of state-run “Zviazda” newspaper is fired. Earlier, Zviazda covered the protests, and its employees joined the nation-wide strike. The new editor in chief is the former minister of information Alexander Karlukevich.
11:52 am The former employees of state-run Belteleradio company, who quit, or were fired for supporting the protest, decided to launch an alternative TV-channel. At the moment, the BT building continues to be blocked by riot police.
12 pm Maria Kolesnikova stated that the opposition will not object to Lukashenka’s participation in any new elections. However, according to the Coordination Council, the Central Election Committee must be completely renewed.
12:13 pm Stephen Fry, English actor and writer, tweeted his strong support for protesters in Belarus. “Breaking into my twitter holiday for an important reason…. #standwithbelarus”
