BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

17/04/2006

Rally protests Belarus alliance

From correspondents in Minsk

SOME 100 young people staged a brief rally by Russia's embassy in Minsk overnight to protest Moscow's support of President Alexander Lukashenko.

The protesters stood for a silent half hour holding candles before the embassy, then put the candles down and dispersed.

"By this we show our protest against Russia's support of Europe's last dictator and show solidarity with those whom the Belarusian regime keeps jailed," one protester said.

Some of the protesters covered their faces with scarves, but no one was detained, though the police took down some of their names.

Mr Lukashenko was elected to a third term March 19 in a vote that the main Western election monitoring organisation described as neither free nor fair.

Source:

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18836088-5001028,00.html