Belarus President Refuses to Step Down, Opposition Calls for General Strike
2020-10-27
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1The political opposition in Belarus called for a nationwide general strike on Monday.
2The appeal is the latest in a series of efforts to force Alexander Lukashenko, the country's long-time leader, from power.
3Opposition activists say cheating in the presidential election last August resulted in his reelection.
4Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had threatened the general strike two weeks ago in an effort to energize the protest movement.
5She was Lukashenko's main opponent in the election.
6Tikhanovskaya fled Belarus under what she described as fear for her family's safety after the vote.
7She demanded that he resign as president or face a general strike.
8She also demanded an end to violence against demonstrators and the release of political prisoners.
9On Monday, the independent news website Tut.by published pictures of workers striking at several factories.
10The site also reported that many workers were detained at the Grodno Azot factory for joining the strike.
11Nexta, a social media platform, published pictures of university students in Minsk blocking the entrance to the Belarus State University.
12Some people could be seen gathered near the offices of the A1 telecommunication company in Minsk.
13They were holding the red and white flags of the opposition.
14A spokeswoman for the prime minister said all the country's major industrial companies were operating normally.
15But Tikhanovskaya's representative disputed the claim, adding that government officials are "nervous."
16Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Belarus on Sunday.
17It was 11th straight weekend of large demonstrations aimed at ending Lukashenko's 25 years in office.
18Yet once again, government security troops and police were out in large numbers.
19The human rights group Vesna reported that more than 300 protesters were arrested.
20Rights groups estimate more than 8,000 people have been detained since the protests began.
21A United Nations investigator reported last month that thousands of people had been "savagely beaten" and there were more than 500 reports of torture, which the government denies.
22Lukashenko has refused to resign as president.
23He says he won the election with more than 80 percent of the vote.
24Lukashenko also has support from Russia, which considers him a loyal ally along its western border.
25A Russian government spokesman suggested that his country was growing concerned about the strike's ability to affect Russia's economy.
26He noted that the two economies worked together "at the highest levels."
27"For us, it's extremely important how...reliably the Belarus factories function," the spokesman added.
28Russian President Vladimir Putin has provided economic aid to Belarus and has said he will provide military assistance, if necessary.
29The head of one of Russia's intelligence services was in Minsk last week and met with Lukashenko.
30The United States and other Western governments have condemned the violence against demonstrators and supported actions meant to punish Lukashenko and his supporters.
31The European Union said it no longer considered Lukashenko as the head of Belarus.
32French President Emanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among European leaders who have met with Tikhanovskaya directly.
33In a separate development, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Lukashenko by phone on Saturday.
34It was the first high-level contact between the two countries since the political crisis in Belarus began.
35The State Department said Pompeo voiced "U.S. support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus.
36He also demanded the release and the return of Vitali Shkliarov, a Belarusian-American political observer who was arrested while visiting his parents in Belarus before the August elections.
37Government officials have charged him with helping to organize illegal demonstrations.
38They say his actions are evidence of western interference in Belarus.
39Last week, Lukashenko ordered the Belarusian-American released from detention and placed under house arrest.
40He reportedly had been suffering from health problems while in prison.
41Belarus state television released a statement saying the country and Russia were ready to answer any threats "jointly."
42I'm Susan Shand.
1The political opposition in Belarus called for a nationwide general strike on Monday. The appeal is the latest in a series of efforts to force Alexander Lukashenko, the country's long-time leader, from power. Opposition activists say cheating in the presidential election last August resulted in his reelection. 2Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had threatened the general strike two weeks ago in an effort to energize the protest movement. She was Lukashenko's main opponent in the election. Tikhanovskaya fled Belarus under what she described as fear for her family's safety after the vote. 3She demanded that he resign as president or face a general strike. She also demanded an end to violence against demonstrators and the release of political prisoners. 4On Monday, the independent news website Tut.by published pictures of workers striking at several factories. The site also reported that many workers were detained at the Grodno Azot factory for joining the strike. 5Nexta, a social media platform, published pictures of university students in Minsk blocking the entrance to the Belarus State University. 6Some people could be seen gathered near the offices of the A1 telecommunication company in Minsk. They were holding the red and white flags of the opposition. 7A spokeswoman for the prime minister said all the country's major industrial companies were operating normally. But Tikhanovskaya's representative disputed the claim, adding that government officials are "nervous." 8The people's ultimatum 9Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Belarus on Sunday. It was 11th straight weekend of large demonstrations aimed at ending Lukashenko's 25 years in office. 10Yet once again, government security troops and police were out in large numbers. The human rights group Vesna reported that more than 300 protesters were arrested. 11Rights groups estimate more than 8,000 people have been detained since the protests began. A United Nations investigator reported last month that thousands of people had been "savagely beaten" and there were more than 500 reports of torture, which the government denies. 12Lukashenko has refused to resign as president. He says he won the election with more than 80 percent of the vote. 13Lukashenko also has support from Russia, which considers him a loyal ally along its western border. 14A Russian government spokesman suggested that his country was growing concerned about the strike's ability to affect Russia's economy. He noted that the two economies worked together "at the highest levels." 15"For us, it's extremely important how...reliably the Belarus factories function," the spokesman added. 16Russian President Vladimir Putin has provided economic aid to Belarus and has said he will provide military assistance, if necessary. The head of one of Russia's intelligence services was in Minsk last week and met with Lukashenko. 17The United States and other Western governments have condemned the violence against demonstrators and supported actions meant to punish Lukashenko and his supporters. The European Union said it no longer considered Lukashenko as the head of Belarus. 18French President Emanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among European leaders who have met with Tikhanovskaya directly. 19Washington calling 20In a separate development, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Lukashenko by phone on Saturday. It was the first high-level contact between the two countries since the political crisis in Belarus began. 21The State Department said Pompeo voiced "U.S. support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus. He also demanded the release and the return of Vitali Shkliarov, a Belarusian-American political observer who was arrested while visiting his parents in Belarus before the August elections. 22Government officials have charged him with helping to organize illegal demonstrations. They say his actions are evidence of western interference in Belarus. 23Last week, Lukashenko ordered the Belarusian-American released from detention and placed under house arrest. He reportedly had been suffering from health problems while in prison. 24Belarus state television released a statement saying the country and Russia were ready to answer any threats "jointly." 25I'm Susan Shand. 26The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 27_________________________________________________ 28platform - n. a website that allows someone to tell a large number of people about an idea, news and information or a product 29savagely - adj. with extreme cruelty 30reliably - adj. with certainty 31function - v. to use, make or do 32aspiration - n. a hope or goal for the future