FILE - Belarusian opposition supporters take part in a protest event demanding freedom for political prisoners. Mass protests against the presidential election results have been erupting in Minsk and other Belarusian cities since 9 August. (Andrei PokumeikoTASS via Getty Images)Mass protests have rocked Belarus for almost two months, with the largest rallies taking place on Sundays and drawing up to 200,000 people.
The unprecedented wave of unrest was triggered by the results of the Aug. 9 presidential election that handed Lukashenko, who has run Belarus with an iron fist for 26 years, a crushing victory with 80% of the vote.AdvertisementHis main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, got only 10%.