KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Thousands of people have rallied in Belarus on Friday following the death of a 31-year-old opposition supporter who died in a hospital after he was reportedly beaten by security forces, and the European Union condemned the continued violent crackdown that Belarusian authorities have waged on peaceful protesters.
The death of the man came about three months after mass protests began in Belarus in the wake of the Aug. 9 election that official results say gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office. The opposition and some poll workers say the results were manipulated and have been calling for Lukashenko's resignation.
More than 17,000 people have been detained — thousands of them brutally beaten — since the election, human rights advocates say.
Thousands of people carrying flowers and candles formed human chains of solidarity in several Belarusian cities, including the capital Minsk, to honor 31-year-old Raman Bandarenka, who died Thursday at a Minsk hospital after several hours of surgery due to serious injuries. “Stop killing us,” said some of the banners demonstrators were holding.
According to Ales Bialiatski, leader of the Viasna human rights center, Bandarenka was detained in a Minsk courtyard on Wednesday evening by men in plainclothes, who came to take down red and white ribbons — a symbol of the protests in Belarus — decorating the yard. Bandarenka was handed over to police and brutally beaten inside the van, Bialiatski said in a statement.
“As a result, Raman sustained a severe head injury and in grave condition was brought to the police (department). An ambulance wasn't called for two more hours. The doctors were unable to save Raman Bandarenka's life,” Bialiatski said, calling for a criminal investigation to hold accountable those responsible for Bandarenka's death.
The authorities have confirmed that Bandarenka was brought to the hospital from a police department in Minsk, but denied responsibility for his death. Police maintained he was injured in a street fight. Belarus' Investigative Committee said Bandarenko was also diagnosed with “alcohol intoxication.” An inquiry has been launched.
Bandarenka's death elicited outrage both in Belarus and abroad. The EU condemned the violence.
“This is an outrageous and shameful result of the actions by the Belarusian authorities who have not only directly and violently carried out repression of their own population, but also created an environment whereby such lawless, violent acts can take place,” Peter Stano, the EU’s spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement.
He added that the Lukashenko’s government was “ignoring not only the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Belarusian people, but also disregarding their lives.”
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged Lukashenko at the presidential election in August, called Bandarenka “a hero” and “an innocent victim of an inhumane system.”
“The man was killed because he wanted to live in a free country,” Tsikhnaouskaya, who is currently in exile in Lithuania, said in a video statement Friday. “But we will never obey those who are ready to kill us.”
A total of four people, including Bandarenka, are reported to have died since the protests began in August as the result of the crackdown on demonstrators and opposition supporters. No criminal probes have been launched into the deaths.
The Investigative Committee on Friday has halted an inquiry into the death of Alexander Taraikovsky, a protester who died on Aug. 10. The government maintains he was killed by an explosive device that blew up in his hands, but his partner believes he was shot by police.
Video shot by an Associated Press journalist shows Taraikovsky with a bloodied shirt before collapsing on the ground. Several police are seen nearby and some walk over to where Taraikovsky is lying on the street and stand around him.
The video doesn't show why he fell to the ground or how his shirt became bloodied, but it also doesn't show that he had an explosive device that blew up in his hand, as the government has said.
The EU already has imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and several dozen officials over their role in the security crackdown launched after the contested election. Stano said Friday that the 27-nation bloc “stands ready to impose additional sanctions."
In a separate video message, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that EU member states have asked the bloc's executive to prepare a plan of economic support for Belarus.
“The European Union stands ready to mobilize all its economic means to support and accompany democratic change," she said. “Europe’s economic influence is immense. It's up to us to make a more strategic use of our economic clout. It's up to us to take clear our positions and to enforce them with stronger actions."
