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| - A crushing re-election victory for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko in disputed polls followed by anti-government protests, violent police repression and the opposition challenger taking refuge in Lithuania -- here is a recap of several days of drama in the ex-Soviet country. On August 9, 2020, Lukashenko, 65, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, runs for a sixth term in presidential elections. His main rival is the 37-year-old political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who decided to run for president after her blogger husband Sergei Tikhanovsky was jailed and barred from contesting. That night, an official exit poll declares Lukashenko the victor. Tikhanovskaya rejects the results. Anti-government protests break out that are violently repressed by police, leading to some 3,000 arrests and dozens of injuries. The next day, the first official results give victory to Lukashenko with 80 percent of votes, far ahead of Tikhanovskaya with 10 percent. Tikhanovskaya claims victory and calls on Lukashenko to step down. Russia, China and Venezuela welcome Lukashenko's re-election, but other countries and the European Union question the fairness of the vote and condemn the crackdown on protests. For a second night, demonstrators clash with police in Minsk and other cities, leading to some 2,000 arrests. One man dies when an explosive device goes off in his hand, police say, confirming the first fatality of the post-election protests. On August 11 a distressed-looking Tikhanovskaya says she has made a "difficult decision" to leave her country for Lithuania. She indicates she is leaving Belarus to be with her two children, who had earlier been taken out of the country for their safety. In Minsk, state media releases a video showing Tikhanovskaya urging supporters not to protest, but her allies say it was recorded under pressure. Fresh protests take place overnight, again harshly repressed. About 1,000 people are arrested. The interior ministry on August 12 says police in the city of Brest used firearms against a group of protesters. Several hundred women, many wearing white and holding flowers, join hands to form a human chain in central Minsk urging an end to police violence. Officials confirm a second death in the unrest. They say a 25-year-old man died after he was detained on August 9 for taking part in illegal protests and sentenced to 10 days in prison. In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Nobel Prize-winning Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich condemns the violence and urges Lukashenko to step down. On August 13, after a fourth night of unrest, authorities say they have made 700 fresh arrests, bringing the total to more than 6,700 since the protests began. European Union ministers are due to hold an extraordinary meeting on August 14 to discuss the situation in Belarus, with some in the bloc calling for the re-imposition of sanctions. bur-jah-eab-am/rl
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