People vs Dictator: The Failed Uprising in Belarus

Belarus is considered by many to be Europe’s last dictatorship. The president, Alexander Lukashenko, has been in power since 1994. He rules the country with authoritarian laws that have stifled free speech, political activism, and press freedom.

On August 9th 2020 a presidential election was held in #Belarus. Despite there being a strong democratic opposition for the first time in years—with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya—Lukashenko somehow won with 80% of the vote.

Almost immediately evidence of vote rigging was shared online.

That same night, the people of Belarus took to the streets to protest. Thousands flooded into the country’s capital of Minsk. As this was happening, the government shut down the internet and blocked all the exits to the city.

Thousands of riot police were deployed all over Belarus to stop the protest marches. They attacked protesters viciously.

Two of our filmmakers, Luke Pierce and Jonny Pickup, were on the ground for these clashes. They caught firsthand how the people are resisting on the streets. We also met with an outlawed anarchist organisation trying to agitate against Lukashenko.

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