- Belarus’ Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that security forces are prepared to use special gear and military weapons against the protestors. One of the Heads of the governmental unit said in an interview that firearms will be “humanely” used for, what he called, protecting the citizens, law, and order. In addition, he referred to the protestors as immoral “sharp-hoofed animals.” In fact, in last-weekend rally attended by tens of thousands of people, water cannons, barbed wires, pepper gas and the like have been as present as never before. Moreover, there are videos available of shots being fired from the window of a minibus with no license plates whatsoever.
- Sunday 18th October marked the last day of the vote against Lukashenko’s recent plans of constitutional amendments. Over 450,000 Belarusians expressed their views, breaking a record of attendance in independent, modern Belarus. The main demands of the un-official referendum are to hold new fair elections, to remove political prisoners, and to prosecute those responsible.
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kalesnikava, and Veronika Tsepkalo have been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Norwegian MP Geir Toskedal said that these three women played a key role in the fight against the totalitarian regime in Belarus.
Belarus Alert – Day 68 & 69: Tsikhanouskaya nominated for Nobel Peace Prize | Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs calls protestors “animals”
