Belarus police clear protesters near Stalin-era mass grave

MINSK: Police in Belarus on Sunday dispersed protesters marching from central Minsk to a Stalin-era execution site in the latest of weeks of demonstrations against strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election.

A journalist heard loud bangs and the sound of shots being fired and saw police chasing protesters in a field not far from the Kuropaty site, a wooded area on the outskirts of Minsk where tens of thousands of people were executed during Stalin’s purges.

The march aimed to both commemorate victims of Stalin-era repressions and to keep up pressure on Lukashenko who is facing unprecedented protests after claiming victory in an August election.

The last time a march to the execution site was dispersed was under the Soviets in 1988, when authorities used tear gas against an anti-Communist demonstration.

Rights group Viasna said more than 120 people had been detained on Sunday.

Despite the violence, many managed to make it to the memorial site where they unfurled the white-and-red flags of the opposition.

Tens of thousands of people joined the march despite increasing pressure from Lukashenko, who this week threatened to “take no prisoners” if protesters confronted police. Videos circulated on social media showed that in a break from previous protests authorities deployed armoured all-terrain vehicles with roof-mounted machine guns in Minsk.

Opposition supporters are calling on Lukashenko to step down and hand power to main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who has taken refuge in neighbouring Lithuania.

After nearly three months of protests and with Lukashenko still in power, some demonstrators said they were exhausted.

“We are afraid to come out, everyone is afraid,” said Viktoria Pavlovich, 38.

Yakov, a 51-year-old engineer who did not give his last name, said Belarusians were “very tired”.