March of Freedom (1999)

The confrontation between the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko and the opposition began in 1995, during the first Belarusian referendum , which was illegal under the Constitution and the Law on Referenda. Then Lukashenko began to put pressure on the Supreme Council , which helped reach the consent of the Council to hold a referendum. ^[2] Opposition leaders attempted to organize a hunger strike in the Government House, but they were expelled from there by riot police ^[3] , beating at the same time ^[4] . As a result of the referendum, the state symbols were changed, the Russian language received the status of the state , the president received the right to dissolve the parliament.

After the 1996 referendum, the Supreme Council was dissolved and replaced by a bicalecated National Assembly , which mostly included pro-presidential deputies. In 1996–1997 , in response to the signing of integration agreements between Belarus and Russia, the opposition organized a series of protest actions under the common name “ Minsk Spring ”. The result of these actions was some adjustment of the agreements, nevertheless, the threat of loss of independence by the Republic of Belarus remained.

In 1999, the highest government circles of Belarus once again began to seriously discuss the issue of uniting Belarus and Russia into a single state, so it became clear to everyone that the old and seriously ill Boris Yeltsin would not be in power for long. According to the Belarusian opposition, Alexander Lukashenko planned to “sacrifice” the independence of the republic in exchange for a high post in Moscow . ^[five]

In response, the opposition decided to organize a march in support of independent Belarus. The organizing committee includes such opposition politicians as Valentin Vecherko ( BNF party ), Yuri Belensky ( KHP-BNF party), Nikolai Statkevich ( BSDP (NG) party) and Anatoly Lebedko (future UCP ), as well as many other opposition politicians and activists . It was decided to organize a short rally on Yakub Kolos Square , after which the march would begin to Independence Square , where the main rally was to be held. It was decided to hold the action on Sunday , October 17, 1999 .

The organizers of the rally filed an official application for its holding at the Minsk City Executive Committee , however they banned a rally and march from Yakub Kolos Square to Independence Square, allowing only to hold a rally at Bangalore Square , however, the organizers decided not to abandon the original plan of the event. ^[6]

On Sunday , October 17, 1999, after 12 noon, opposition activists and simply supporters of the Belarusian opposition began gathering on Yakub Kolas Square. According to various estimates, that day from 20 to 40 thousand people gathered. The march began on Yakub Kolas Square and along Skorina Avenue and Surganov Street reached Bangalore Square. After a small rally, the demonstrators moved to the city center, deploying 30-meter flag panels - white-red-white and the European Union. In the column of demonstrators dominated by young people. People chanted: “Freedom to political prisoners!”, “No to dictatorship!”, “Belarus to Europe!”, “Long live Belarus!”. Policemen and people in civilian clothes provoked fights on the way of the demonstrators, and a trap was waiting for them at the intersection with Pulikhova Street. The fight lasted about half an hour. Running away from the batons and boots of the special forces, people rushed into the icy river. Skirmishes continued later, when the police began to sweep the yards.