That evening, tens of thousands of people went out onto October Square, the main square in Minsk, to protest the fraudulent election. Demonstrators demanded the annulment of the announced results, and that new elections be held without Lukashenko as a candidate. This peaceful protest was brutally suppressed by special operations forces and riot police. The forests surrounding the capital were filled with troops prepared for battle… A total of seven hundred demonstrators were arrested—including seven former presidential candidates who technically still had the right to immunity…
