themoscowtimes--2020-10-17--Russia Dismisses Links to Chechen Accused of Beheading French Teacher

An 18-year-old Chechen accused of beheading a teacher near his school in a Paris suburb received asylum in France and @ @ @ @ @ , a Russian diplomat said on Saturday .
`` This crime has no relation to @ @ @ @ @ lived in France for the past 12 years , '' the spokesman for the Russian @ @ @ @ @ Parinov , told state news agency TASS .
Identifying the suspect — who was fatally @ @ @ @ @ Abdullakh Anzorov , Parinov said his family arrived in France when Anzorov was six and @ @ @

An 18-year-old Chechen accused of beheading a teacher near his school in a Paris suburb received asylum in France and had no links to Russia, a Russian diplomat said on Saturday.
"This crime has no relation to Russia because this person had lived in France for the past 12 years," the spokesman for the Russian embassy in Paris, Sergei Parinov, told state news agency TASS.
Identifying the suspect — who was fatally wounded by police — as Abdullakh Anzorov, Parinov said his family arrived in France when Anzorov was six and requested asylum.


themoscowtimes--2020-10-18--Belarusians March Despite Police Threat to Open Fire

Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets of Minsk for a new protest against strongman Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday , in defiance of threats by authorities to open fire after weeks of demonstrations .
The ex-Soviet nation has been gripped by historic protests after Lukashenko claimed victory in Aug. 9 elections over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya , a popular opposition candidate .
In a message ahead of Sunday 's protest , Tikhanovskaya urged Belarusians to press ahead with their demands `` peacefully but persistently . ''
`` We will stop only when every political prisoner walks free , when members of law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rule of law and honest elections return to Belarus , '' she said .
Tikhanovskaya , who was granted shelter in EU member Lithuania after the vote , has called on Lukashenko to quit power before Oct. 25 , warning he would otherwise face a crippling general strike .
Earlier this week police claimed that protests were becoming more radicalized and warned that law enforcement would use lethal force `` if necessary . ''
Belarusian authorities deployed military trucks on Sunday and phone networks were heavily disrupted .
Local operator MTS Belarus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to `` ensure national security . ''
Rights group Viasna said police had begun detaining demonstrators in Minsk and elsewhere .
In a break from previous protests when demonstrators gathered in the city center , protesters on Sunday marched along Partisan Prospect , the main transport artery in southeast Minsk and home to a number of factories .
The Nexta Live channel on social-media platform Telegram , which has coordinated protesters , urged Belarusians to express solidarity with workers during the protest , dubbed the `` March of Partisans . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partisans , are worthy of our forefathers who already defeated fascism once , '' the channel said in a message to its more than two million subscribers .
The protest movement has kept up a series of large-scale demonstrations for the past two months , with 100,000 people or more taking to the streets every Sunday .
Tikhanovskaya , who maintains she won the August polls , says Lukashenko must also release political prisoners and halt `` state terror '' unleashed against peaceful protesters .
Several people have died and thousands have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harrowing accounts emerging of abuse in jails .
Many said they had been tortured , beaten and humiliated in detention .
Police have acknowledged using water cannon and stun grenades against demonstrators but the use of live ammunition would mark a major escalation in the months-long standoff .
On Friday , a senior interior ministry official , Nikolai Karpenkov , said firearms would be used `` in a humane manner '' and selectively against protesters who put up resistance .
Ahead of Sunday 's march Ivan Tertel , head of the KGB security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to `` destabilize the situation in our country . ''
He did not say who was behind the alleged plot but said the organizers and their `` foreign-based supervisors '' planned to criticize law enforcement for tackling the provocations .
Alexei Antonov , a regular at opposition rallies , said ahead of the march that his friends and acquaintances supported Tikhanovskaya 's call for a general strike .
`` They are discussing it , and many are ready to join , '' Antonov told AFP .
Lukashenko , who has been in power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step down and has secured backing from Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin .
The European Union has refused to recognize the results of the disputed vote .
Last week EU foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on Lukashenko as the bloc seeks to step up pressure over the crackdown on protesters .

Belarusian police on Sunday detained more than 200 people as tens of thousands marched against strongman Alexander Lukashenko in defiance of police threats to open fire after weeks of demonstrations. Crowds of demonstrators waving red-and-white opposition flags descended on a gritty industrial neighbourhood in southeast Minsk for a march along Partisan Prospect, a key transport artery and home to a number of factories. Protesters took to the streets despite threats by police this week to use lethal force from now on "if necessary." Some protesters chanted "Strike!" and "You and your riot police get out!"
Вот еще один ракурс на колонну протестующих, которая идет по Партизанскому проспекту. pic.twitter.com/SEVaL9xFjE — TUT.BY (@tutby) October 18, 2020
Belarusian authorities deployed military trucks and water cannon but police largely refrained from using riot control equipment on Sunday. Belarusian interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told AFP that members of law enforcement fired off rubber bullets as a warning to protesters who threw stones at police. Chemodanova said that more than 200 people were arrested, most of them in Minsk. The ex-Soviet nation has been gripped by historic protests after Lukashenko claimed victory in August 9 elections over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a popular opposition candidate. Protester Anzhela Krasovskaya said she was not afraid of authorities' threats to use live ammunition. "There's no way back for us," Krasovskaya told AFP. "If they start shooting then there would be even more people in the streets." 'Unprecedented violence' Pensioner Maria Petrovich said demonstrations would continue until Lukashenko quits. "The level of violence perpetrated by the authorities is unprecedented," she told AFP. Phone networks were heavily disrupted, and mobile operator MTS Belarus said it had been ordered to limit access to "ensure national security". Tikhanovskaya, who was granted shelter in EU member Lithuania after the vote, has called on Lukashenko to quit power before October 25, warning he would otherwise face a crippling general strike. Ahead of Sunday's protest, the 38-year-old urged Belarusians to press ahead with their demands. "We will stop only when every political prisoner walks free, when members of law enforcement begin to defend the people, and rule of law and honest elections return to Belarus," Tikhanovskaya said. 'Descendants of glorious warriors' The Nexta Live channel on social-media platform Telegram, which has coordinated protesters, urged Belarusians to express solidarity with workers during the protest, dubbed the "March of Partisans." "We, descendants of glorious warriors and partisans, are worthy of our forefathers who already defeated fascism once," the channel said in a message to its more than two million subscribers. During World War II, Nazi-occupied Belarus had Europe's largest partisan movement. The protest movement has kept up a series of large-scale demonstrations for the past two months, with 100,000 people or more taking to the streets every Sunday. Tikhanovskaya, who maintains she won the August polls, says Lukashenko must release political prisoners and halt "state terror."
news Belarus Police Threaten to Use Firearms on Protesters Read more