Belarus president remains defiant as strikes widen
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — More workers in Belarus joined a widening strike Tuesday as they press for the resignation of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has extended his 26-year rule in an election the opposition says was rigged.
Lukashenko has bluntly rejected the demands to step down following a harsh police crackdown on peaceful protesters in the days after the Aug. 9 vote. In a move intended to secure the loyalty of law enforcement agencies amid the swelling demonstrations and strikes, he signed a decree honoring over 300 police officers for their service.
The opposition denounced the awards as a national insult following the suppression of protests with rubber bullets, stun grenades and clubs. Nearly 7,000 people were detained, hundreds were injured and at least two people died.
The Interior Ministry that oversees police insisted the awards weren’t linked to the crackdown that has galvanized public anger and drawn international criticism.
https://apnews.com/2006c6d07300d9b051af9deccec5fc05
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