What Are Opposition Supporters In Belarus Protesting Against?

Belarussian opposition leaders protested against the dictatorial reign of President Alexander Lukashenko on 25 March 2007, in Minsk. The protest, however, ended in violence when police attacked some of the protesters, leading to clashes in the streets of the capital city. About 15,000 people participated in the protest and accused Lukashenko of rigging elections in order to stay in power. Most western organizations also confirm that recent elections in the former Soviet republic have been far from free and fair.

Alexander Milinkevich currently leads the main opposition forces and he tried to raise the hopes of this supporters by observing that the European Union also calls for democratic reform in Belarus. Under the leadership of President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus has, indeed, become somewhat of a pariah state in the eyes of many people in the western world. Most recently, Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, accused Belarus's political leaders of tolerating oppression and repressive tactics.