Belarus police holds anti-riot drills ahead of January election
- 22 November, 13:03
Police in Belarus has launched anti-riot drills ahead of the January 26 presidential election in which Alexander Lukashenko will seek a seventh term.
Belarusian Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov said that the drills were aimed at training the country's police force for preventing “any manifestation of extremism and terrorism” and blocking any "attempts to draw citizens into unlawful actions and any violation of public order. However, Lukashenko’s critics believe that the drills signal that the government was preparing the police to disperse anti-government protests.
Lukashenko’s main rival, opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has condemned the exercises as a preparation for yet another crackdown on opposion.
“The security forces’ training marks preparation for a crackdown on dissent before the fictitious election. Drills in suppression of citizens aren’t a sign of force, they are a sign of fear. No such intimidation would suppress the Belarusians’ striving for freedom and democracy,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
Alexander Volfovich, the secretary of Belarus’ Security Council, dismissed concerns around the holding of anti-riot exercises. “Our opponents, primarily abroad, just can’t calm down and they use all tools and opportunities they have to try to destabilize the situation again,” Volfovich said.
The interior ministry released a video of the exercises, showing helmeted police in black beating their shields with truncheons. It should be noted that Belarus government has stepped up repression ahead of the presidential election, with police arresting hundreds of political prisoners.
