Alexander Lukashenko on Friday suggested he would leave his post as Belurusian president after a new constitution has been adopted, it has been reported.
Mr Lukashenko said: “I will not work as president with you under the new constitution,” Belarus’ Belta news agency cited him as saying.
The embattled autocrat did not specify when that day would come but reiterated the need for amendments to the constitution.
MINSK, BELARUS – OCTOBER 30, 2020: Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko during an introduction ceremony for the newly-appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus, Ivan Kubrakov, and Head of the Minsk Chief Directorate of Internal Affairs, Mikhail Grib. Sergei Sheleg/BelTA/TASS (Photo by Sergei ShelegTASS via Getty Images)
![MINSK, BELARUS - OCTOBER 30, 2020: Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko during an introduction ceremony for the newly-appointed Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus, Ivan Kubrakov, and Head of the Minsk Chief Directorate of Internal Affairs, Mikhail Grib. Sergei Sheleg/BelTA/TASS (Photo by Sergei ShelegTASS via Getty Images)](https://www.msn.com/en-xl/europe/top-stories/belarus-president-lukashenko-suggests-he-will-step-down-once-new-constitution-adopted/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"56","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1brbuh.img?h=558&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1700&y=428","size3column":"load":"default","w":"62","h":"44","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1brbuh.img?h=436&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1700&y=428","size2column":"load":"default","w":"62","h":"44","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1brbuh.img?h=436&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=1700&y=428")
Belarus has been rocked by several months of anti-government protests after Mr Lukashenko claimed victory in the August 9 presidential election.
However opponents, including his now-exiled main challenger in the vote, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said the vote was rigged and have called for his resignation and a new election.
Mr Lukashenko has discussed amending the Belarus constitution, which is seen as an attempt to end the political crisis in the country, and was urged this week by Russia’s Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov to deliver on his promises.
Mr Lavrov said: “We of course have an interest in the situation being calm, stable and we think that beginning the constitutional reform initiated by the country’s leadership would contribute to this.”
Meanwhile protests have continued to sweep the country despite crackdowns from Belarusian security forces.
Related Slideshow: News in pictures (Provided by Photo Services)
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Secretary of Pakistan Boy Scouts Sabur Hussain Niazi speaks during a ceremony related to the International Volunteers Day in Quetta, Pakistan, on Dec. 5, 2020.
People gather during a protest against deterioration of health and social conditions in Jendouba, Tunisia, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo greets supporters during his final electoral campaign ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections, in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn greets supporters as he walks to participate in a candle lighting ceremony to mark the anniversary of the birth of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, at Sanam Luang ceremonial ground in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 5, 2020.
People watch a performance on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day from their cars at a drive-thru theater amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Prague, Czech Republic, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Officers arrange suitcases full of rupiah and U.S. dollar bills confiscated from suspects during a news conference on a corruption case involving government’s COVID-19 pandemic aid distribution, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 6, 2020.
Workers tested positive for COVID-19 get on a bus to hospital in Klang of Selangor state, Malaysia, on Dec. 5, 2020. The Malaysian government said that it will extend the movement control order in several areas till Dec. 20 in order to control the spread of COVID-19.
People wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, walk by an illuminated Christmas tree at Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Students hold torches during an anti-fundamentalism protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 5, 2020.
A view of nearly empty street as part of the tightened restrictions of COVID-19 pandemic in Belgrade, Serbia, on Dec. 5, 2020.
View of the Pan-American road blocked with rocks during a peasants’ protest demanding a higher salary, in Ica, Peru, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud addresses the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain on Dec. 5, 2020.
A view of empty Istiklal Street is seen after a general weekend-long curfew imposed within new measures against a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 6, 2020.
A nurse shows the Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine against the COVID-19 at a clinic in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 5, 2020. Russian President has told authorities to begin “large-scale” vaccinations among at-risk populations. The drugs should be made generally available to the Russian public in early 2021.
Rescue personnel wait beside parked ambulances outside the Diaoshuidong coal mine in Chongqing, China, on Dec. 5, 2020, after a carbon monoxide leak at the facility left 18 dead, with rescue efforts under way to reach five others still trapped underground.
President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani speaks during the National Combat Board Meeting with COVID-19 in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Tigranyan men and women who fled the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, wait in line to receive aid, at Umm Rakouba refugee camp in Qadarif, Sudan, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Thousands of protesters chant slogans and hold signs during a protest against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his residence in Jerusalem, on Dec. 5, 2020. Protesters demanded the embattled Israeli leader to resign as he faces a trial on corruption charges and grapples with a deepening coronavirus crisis.
A man waves a flag of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region during a rally against a controversial peace agreement with Azerbaijan in Yerevan, Armenia, on Dec. 5, 2020.
A demonstrator holds an umbrella and a sign reading “For your safety you will have no more freedoms” during a protest against the “Global Security Bill,” that right groups say would make it a crime to circulate an image of a police officer’s face and would infringe journalists’ freedom in the country, in Paris, France, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Somali boys enjoy the water at Hamarweyne beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Investigators examine the site of a bomb explosion in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Demonstrators lift national flags as they gather in Habboubi Square, Nasiriyah, Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2020, to express anger after followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr clashed with young protesters lately.
Street vendors walk past campaign posters of Ghanian President and candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo and his running mate, Mahamudu Bawumia, in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Members of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) react at the command center in Sagamihara, Japan, on Dec. 5, 2020, after JAXA officials confirmed the successful separation of a capsule from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chief Executive of Sberbank Herman Gref attend a session of the Artificial Intelligence Journey conference via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 4, 2020.
A woman watches a live stream interview of French President Emmanuel Macron to the digital news platform Brut in Paris, France, on Dec. 4, 2020.
An Indonesian soldier examines the damage at a neighborhood affected by a flood in Medan, Indonesia, on Dec. 4, 2020.
A view of empty Istiklal Street is seen after a general curfew imposed weekend-long within new measures against a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, at Galata bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 5, 2020.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias (L) and his Cyprus counterpart Nicos Christodoulides talk to the media during a press conference at the foreign ministry house in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Medical personnel take throat swab samples from people seeking a rapid antigen COVID-19 test at a testing station set up on the grounds of the KitKat Club during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 4, 2020.
A participant in a rally in support of Belarusian opposition wears an anti-COVID-19 mask with the symbol of Poland’s anti-government women’s protest in Warsaw, Poland, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Rohingyas prepare to board a ship as they move to Bhasan Char island near Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Supporters of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni are seen during a rally in Jinja, Uganda, on Dec. 4, 2020.
People arrive to perform Friday prayer at Al-Zaytuna Mosque in Tunis, Tunisia, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Palestinian protesters run away as an Israeli security vehicle chases after them amid clashes following a demonstration against the expansion of settlements in the town of Salfit, West Bank, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Honorary Alley and the Alley of Martyrs in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Dec. 4, 2020. Azerbaijan marked a day of remembrance for those who died in six weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh that ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan reclaim the territories that were held by Armenian forces for more than a quarter-century.
Newly appointed Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads a procession to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a session of the Parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Buses that transfer refugees who fled Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict from the Border Reception Centre to Um Raquba refugee camp wait to depart in convoy in Hamdayit, Sudan, on Dec. 4, 2020.
United Nations Secretary-Generals Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen makes a statement as he holds a press conference after the 4th session of Syrian Constitutional Committee ended in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Search and rescue workers seen at the site of an explosion in Karachi, Pakistan, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Ethiopian Jewish immigrants making their Aliyah (Immigration to Israel) wave Israeli flags as they step off a plane at Ben Gurion International Airport, east of Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 3, 2020.
A woman walks past a campaign poster of former president and National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate John Dramani Mahama in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 3, 2020.
São Paulo State Health Secretary Dr. Jean Gorinchteyn (L), Governor João Doria (C) and Butantan Institute Director Dimas Covas, pose for photos next to a container carrying the experimental COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac after it was unloaded from a cargo plane that arrived from China at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo, Brazil, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Janez Lenarčič (L), European Commissioner for Crisis Management, speaks with Ethiopian refugees, who fled the Tigray conflict, during his visit to Um Raquba reception camp in Sudan’s eastern Gedaref state, on Dec. 3, 2020.
The fire department extinguishes two burning houses in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (C) and his wife Emine Erdoğan (3rd R) attend the opening ceremony of Presidential Symphony Orchestra’s (CSO) new concert hall in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Rescuers evacuate residents amid flooding caused by overnight heavy rains in Medan, Indonesia, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Disabled Palestinians compete during a local race on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, in Gaza City on Dec. 3, 2020.
Protesters gather upon calling of Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) to stage a demonstration demanding that the ministries fulfill their reform promises for the region in Kairouan, Tunis, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Rohingyas are seen onboard a ship as they are moving to Bhasan Char island in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Dec. 4, 2020.
A volunteer serves a free hot meal to a homeless elderly woman during a charity event named ‘Under the clear sky’ organized by an NGO called ‘Interleaved,’ in downtown Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Boys walk past the site of a collapsed apartment building in Alexandria, Egypt, on Dec. 3, 2020.
People are affected from tear gas thrown by security forces during a protest against salary delays at Mevlevi street in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Protesters hold banners and masks with the face of Thai dissident Wanchalearm Satsaksit during a protest outside the Embassy of Cambodia in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 3, 2020, six months after his alleged kidnapping in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
People carrying shopping bags walk on a street in Prague, Czech Republic, on Dec. 3, 2020.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex (L), wearing a protective face mask, looks on as French Health Minister Olivier Veran speaks during a press conference to outline France’s strategy for the deployment of future COVID-19 vaccines, in Paris, France, on Dec. 3, 2020.
A child receives porridge at Kuchengetana kitchen in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 3, 2020.
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, speaks in a pre-recorded message which was played during the U.N. General Assembly’s special session to discuss the response to COVID-19 and the best path to recovery from the pandemic, in New York, U.S, on Dec. 3, 2020,
Cleaning staff of General Children’s Hospital Aghia Sofia hold a banner reading in Greek “We are defending our jobs, take back the dismissals” as they protest outside the hospital, in Athens, Greece, on Dec. 3, 2020.
A girl walks past a mural with Iran’s national flag in a street in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 3, 2020. Iranian president Rouhani said that his government does not agree with the parliament’s draft bill to quit the nuclear deal, to reduce nuclear commitment and to increase nuclear activities. The development comes after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh earlier this week.
Rappler CEO Maria Ressa walks out of a regional trial court after a scheduled arraignment on her second cyber libel case, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Dec. 4, 2020.
Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski speaks after he and the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna were awarded the 2020 Right Livelihood Award during the award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 3, 2020.
People wait in line inside the restaurant to buy food, after dine-in services were suspended, during lockdown after new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Israeli sailors stand in formation during a ceremony attended by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Israel’s Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, marking the arrival of the Sa’ar-6 corvette, at the Israeli naval base in Haifa, Israel, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Incumbent president and the leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo (C) speaks to supporters at an election rally in Kumasi, Ghana, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to view the ‘Artemisia’ and the ‘Titian: Love Desire Death’ exhibitions at the National Gallery in London, England, on Dec. 2, 2020.
A Ministry of Health staff collects a nose swab sample for an antigen test in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily, arrives at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre by prison van after remaining in custody over fraud charge, in Hong Kong on Dec. 3, 2020.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a video conference with international partners to discuss humanitarian aid for financially-strapped Lebanon in Paris, France, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Fishermen prepare to go out in sea in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, on Dec. 3, 2020. Cyclone Burevi hit Sri Lanka overnight, rattling the island nation but leaving it relatively unscathed on its way to southern India.
Taxi motorcyclists, popularly called Okada, drive past a tanker laden with petrol that is on fire after it fell over and spilt the contents across the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Magboro, Nigeria, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (R) gives the traditional greeting or “wai” in Samut Songkhram province, Thailand, on Dec. 2, 2020.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the media following a virtual meeting between Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Ugandan opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine leaves after a meeting at the Electoral Commission in Kampala, Uganda on Dec. 2, 2020.
President of the European Council Charles Michel attends a virtual meeting with the leaders of Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg in the Europa, the EU Council headquarter in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 2, 2020.
People fly on hot air balloons during a festival in Kyiv, Ukraine on Dec. 2, 2020.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the Council of Ministers meeting in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 02, 2020.
Ethiopian refugee doctor Hagos Werash (3rd R) examines patients at Village Eight transit centre, which hosts Ethiopian refugees who fled Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, in Gedaref, Sudan, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (C) poses for a photo with Pakistan’s Naval Chief Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi (L) and Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Adnan Ozbal (R) before their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, meets with U.S. President’s senior adviser Jared Kushner in Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 2, 2020.
A rescue team personnel inspect an opening to note any changes before they can start pulling out trapped miners in Bindura, Zimbabwe, on Dec. 2, 2020.
People attend the listing ceremony of Shenzhen Longtech Smart Control Co., Ltd and Shanghai Hi-Road Food Technology Co., Ltd at the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China, on Dec. 2, 2020.
Faisal Siddiqi (C), a lawyer for the family of Daniel Pearl (an American reporter who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002), leaves the Supreme Court with his team after an appeal hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Dec. 1, 2020. Pakistan’s top court resumed the hearing of an appeal from the family of Pearl against the acquittal of a British-born Pakistani man convicted over the beheading of the Wall Street Journal reporter.
Members of Iraqi security forces flash victory sign during deployments in Sinjar, Iraq, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Government officials are seen at the sight of an abandoned mine where artisanal miners got trapped underground in Bindura, Zimbabwe, on Dec, 1, 2020.
Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong (R) and Ivan Lam are escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong on Dec. 2, 2020.
Ethiopians fleeing from the Tigray region walk towards a river to cross from Ethiopia to Sudan, near the Hamdeyat refugee transit camp on the border in Sudan, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Garment workers of A-One BD Limited stage a demonstration in front of Ministry of Labor demanding their 11 months due wage in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (R) conducts talks with European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi in Rabat, Morocco, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and the veterans of the Turkish Armed Forces Command plant saplings in memory of the Turkish soldiers who lost their lives in cross-border operations in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Students hold up a rainbow flag in support of the LGBTQ movement during a “Bad Student” protest outside the Ministry of Education in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec. 1, 2020.
A general view of the destroyed Beirut port in Lebanon on Dec. 1, 2020.
People wait in line for a PCR test for the COVID-19, outside a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, on Dec. 1, 2020.
An elderly resident of a nursing home and her granddaughter make contact over a glass window during a family visit in Škofja Loka, Slovenia, on Dec. 1, 2020.
European Council President Charles Michel attends a video conference with Czech Republic’s Prime Minister, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, President of the Republic of Lithuania and Danish Prime Minister to prepare the upcoming EU summit, in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Azerbaijani soldiers hold a huge national flag as they celebrate the transfer of the Lachin region to Azerbaijan’s control, as part of a peace deal that required Armenian forces to cede the Azerbaijani territories they held outside Nagorno-Karabakh, in Aghjabadi, Azerbaijan, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Girls play traditional flute during the celebration of Mahalaxmi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Dec. 1, 2020.
National Guard personnel and police officers are on duty during the #SaveFOP protest action against the introduction of mandatory fiscal cash registers outside the Verkhovna Rada building, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari presides virtually over the unveiling of the National Gas Expansion Programme, in Abuja, Nigeria, on Dec. 1, 2020.
The Olympic Symbol is reinstalled after it was taken down for maintenance ahead of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Odaiba section in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, otherwise known as Bobi Wine, parades through crowds of people in Jinja, Uganda, on Dec. 1, 2020.
A health official disinfects as a precaution against the coronavirus for the upcoming college entrance exams in a classroom at a high school in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 1, 2020.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya speaks during a meeting held under the name of ‘National Developments’ in Gaza city on Dec. 1, 2020.
Sikh pilgrims attend a religious festival to celebrate the birth anniversary of their spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak Dev, at Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan, on Nov. 30, 2020.
An Iranian man walks by a billboard of slain Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Ugandan pop star and presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, campaigns near Kampala, Uganda, on Nov. 30, 2020.
People light candles around the symbol of AIDS awareness on the eve of the 33rd World AIDS Day in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A woman wearing a face mask walks on a street as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues in Prague, Czech Republic, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Vice President of Turkey, Fuat Oktay (R) meets Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal (L) at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on Nov. 30, 2020.
People wearing masks for protection against the COVID-19 infection attend a religious service celebrating St. Andrew in the village of Ion Corvin, Romania, on Nov. 30, 2020.
People, including pensioners, take part in an opposition rally to demand the resignation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and to protest against police violence in Minsk, Belarus, on Nov. 30, 2020.
People ride in a car loaded with belongings on a road in Lachin, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A crane lifts a 28-meter (91 feet) tall fir tree in St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican City, on Nov. 30, 2020.
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi stands prior to an informal meeting on EU-Kosovo at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (L) gestures at the House of Peoples Representatives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 30, 2020, to respond to the Parliament on the current conflict between Ethiopian National Defence Forces and the leaders of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).
Pedestrians and trams on the street decorated with Christmas lights in downtown Zagreb, Croatia, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A mural of Diego Maradona that reads “Dorcol, Brother, Argentina” is painted on a wall in Dorcol neighborhood in Belgrade, Serbia, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) meets the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi (R) in Cairo, Egypt, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Kraavan, the pachyderm dubbed “the world’s loneliest elephant” while it was in Pakistan, walks at Kulen Prom Tep Wildlife Sanctuary in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, on Dec. 1, 2020.
People walk in the street of Algiers, Algeria, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A Hindu pilgrim takes a holy bath in the Bay of Bengal as they perform rituals on the occasion of the Rashmela, a religious festival in Kuakata, Bangladesh, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A view of the site after a bomb-laden motorcycle was detonated in Syria’s Jarabulus, on Nov 30, 2020.
Relatives check the registry of inmates warded at the Eagan’s hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Nov. 30, 2020, a day after a prison riot over the surge of coronavirus infections.
Ukrainian investors of the construction of apartment blocks in several residential complexes burn flares during a rally demanding the resuming of construction of the residential buildings, near the City Hall in Kiev, Ukraine, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A woman wearing a protective face mask walks in a park during snowfall in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Nov. 30, 2020.
A trailer truck transports Kaavan, Pakistan’s only Asian elephant, as they make their way to the airport before Kavaan’s departure to a sanctuary in Cambodia, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Nov. 29, 2020. Following years of public outcry and campaigning by American pop star Cher, the “world’s loneliest elephant” was poised to embark on the mammoth journey.
Moroccans protest the normalization deal with Israel to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in Rabat, Morocco, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Babagana Umara Zulum (C), governor of Borno State, prays during a funeral for those killed by suspected Boko Haram militants in Zaabarmar, Nigeria, on Nov. 29, 2020. Officials say suspected members of the Islamic militant group have killed at least 40 rice farmers and fishermen while they were harvesting crops in northern Borno State.
Law enforcement officers run to disperse demonstrators as they gather to protest against police violence and the Belarus presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on Nov. 29, 2020.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), attends the 21st meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Pupils wearing protective masks hold balloons in their school yard on the first day of the new academic year, at Hariri primary school in Baghdad, Iraq, on Nov. 29, 2020, after weeks of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan’s Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi (R) meets with Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Admiral Pierre Vandier at his office in the ministry in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 30, 2020.
Special Task Force (STF) personnel are deployed at Mahara prison on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Nov. 30, 2020, a day after a prison riot took place over the surge of coronavirus infections.
Evacuees rest at a makeshift shelter after Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted spewing a column of smoke and ash 13,123 feet (4,000 meters) high, in Lembata, Indonesia, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Newly graduated female soldiers march during their graduation ceremony after a three-month training program at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 29, 2020.
State Prosecutor Rémy Heitz speaks during a press conference, in Paris, France, on Nov. 29, 2020, concerning four police officers detained after a video appeared to show them beating a black music producer in Paris.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attend the opening ceremony for Sha’ar Hagay national site, near Jerusalem on Nov. 29, 2020.
A Nepalese artist dressed as Lord Narsimha performs a traditional dance during Kartik Naach festival at Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Protesters hold mirrors in front of riot police officers during a pro-democracy rally demanding the prime minister to resign and reforms on the monarchy, at 11th Infantry Regiment, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel speaks during a pro-government rally in Havana, Cuba, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Pope Francis takes part in a Mass, the day after he raised 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Nov. 29, 2020.
A woman walks by a tribute to coronavirus victims in Prague, Czech Republic, on Nov. 29, 2020.
A World Food Programme employee walks between sacks of food at the Um Rakuba refugee camp which houses Ethiopian refugees fleeing the fighting in the Tigray region, on the Sudan-Ethiopia border in Sudan, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal (L) and Turkish Technology and Industry Minister Mustafa Varank hold talks at Mabeyn Building in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Bruno Covas, mayor of São Paulo, celebrates his re-election during the municipal elections in Brazil, on Nov. 29, 2020.
Women cover their noses during a fumigation drive to kill mosquitoes in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Nov. 29, 2020.
149/149 SLIDES
Early this month, an independent report found the country should hold new elections after “massive and systemic” human rights violations.
The document, written by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), also said that “excessive violence” was used against protesters, amid allegations of “serious cases of torture”.
Supporters of Ms Tsikhanouskaya said on Friday they would lobby state prosecutors in several European countries to investigate accusations of torture by Belarusian authorities.
“It’s terrible in Belarus, and I don’t think anything similar is happening anywhere in Europe. We need outside help”, Maksim Kharoshyn told a news conference in Vilnius, saying he had been beaten by Belarusian police while in detention.
A petition filed with Lithuanian prosecutors on Kharoshyn’s behalf asks them to investigate several officials including Belarusian Deputy Interior Minister Nikolai Karpenkov in the case, said Alexander Dobrovolski, an adviser to Tsikhanouskaya.
Dobrovolski said similar requests would be sent to prosecutors in Poland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, where other alleged victims of Belarusian police beatings now reside.
Belarus denies torturing prisoners and says its police show restraint in dealing with protesters it has said are in league with hostile foreign powers.
