MINSK – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that he had stuck the coronavirus and recovered “standing”, appearing any symptoms, with a provocative tone as he addressed army leaders in Minsk.
Lukashenko, 65, has resisted calls for strict blocking measures to involve the pandemic, ignoring fears about COVID-19 as a “psychosis” and suggesting remedies such as drinking vodka, saunas and ice hockey.
Public frustration with his handling of the pandemic has fuelled the biggest protests in years opposite his reign before the August 9 presidential election. He imprisoned two of his election rivals in a growing crackdown on dissent.
“Today you meet a guy who controlled the coronavirus on his feet. That’s what the doctors concluded yesterday. Asymptomatic,” Lukashenko said.
“Like I said, 97% of our population has this infection asymptomatically,” he added. He provided a source for that figure.
Belarus, with a figure of 9.5 million, recorded 67,366 coronavirus infections with 543 deaths.
Lukashenko did not say when or how he may have contracted the virus. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an army parade in Moscow last month. Putin is fine, said the tasS news firm quoting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
PRACTICE CRACKDOWN
Lukashenko, former head of the Soviet collective farm, said in April that no one would die of coronavirus in Belarus and that any death would be the result of underlying conditions, such as central disease or diabetes.
Unlike European countries, Belarus has kept its borders open and has even allowed national league football matches to be played against spectators.
Discontent with the president, whose iron reign since 1994 has called him “Europe’s last dictator” through Washington, has increased.
Lukashenko speaking at an army base Tuesday after overseeing special training of the televised police that fired tear fuel and used a water cannon in an offensive against street protests. Lukashenko suggested that the police be tough.
“You will not have to create provocations under any circumstances,” the insurrection police chief ordered. “But you must also not allow (the protesters) to insult the boys.”
Lukashenko made several such visits to the army and the army conducted tank training last weekend on the streets of Minsk.
Political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky said Lukashenko’s crusade takes a stand in an environment of “repression and intimidation.”
“The government expects the deployment of force and threats to save others from going out on the streets,” he said.
Human rights teams say more than 1,100 people have been arrested in recent weeks. The protesters reunited Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, the wife of one of the imprisoned candidates, who is campaigning in place of her husband.
On Tuesday, several hounds were briefly arrested outdoors at the Headquarters of the State Security Service (KGB), transferred to a local police station and then released.
Lukashenko compared the opposition to criminal gangs and accused protesters of not organizing a violent revolution with foreign backs. (Additional report through Polina Devitt in Moscow; written through Matthias Williams Edited through Gareth Jones and Nick Macfie)
Sign up for news from the National Post, a department of Postmedia Network Inc.
An error has occurred, provide a valid email address.
A welcome email is on the way. If you don’t see it, check your unwanted folder.
The next factor in the newsletter will soon be in your inbox.
We found a challenge when you signed up. Please check again
Postmedia is committed to remaining a civilized discussion forum and encouraging all readers to express their views in percentage on our articles. Comments can take up to an hour to moderate before appearing on the site. We ask that you keep your comments applicable and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications. You will now receive an email if you get a reaction to your comment, if there is an update to a comment thread that follows, or if a user follows it. Check out our network regulations for more data and main points on how to adjust your email settings.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2020 National Post, a department of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized dissemination, transmission or dissemination is strictly prohibited.
This uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads) and allows us to analyze our traffic. Learn more about cookies here. By using our site, you agree to our terms of use and our privacy policy.