August 31, 2020 18:37 GMT – By RFE/RL’s Belarus Service

Belarusian authorities on August 31 jailed a strike leader and detained a top member of an opposition council aiming to coordinate a transition of power, in the latest attempt by authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to quell opposition to his 26-year rule.

Police from the financial crimes unit detained Lilia Vlasova, one of seven members of the Coordination Council Presidium, on August 31 after searching her home earlier in the day, her colleague Paval Latushka said in a Telegram post.

Vlasova, 67, is at least the third member of the presidium to have been detained since it was set up earlier this month following nationwide protests in the wake of the disputed August 9 presidential election.

Two members of the presidium were jailed for 10 days while at least six of the seven have been questioned since the prosecutor-general opened an investigation into the council, claiming it is attempting to illegally “seize” power.

Separately, Anatoly Bokun, co-chair of the Belaruskali factory strike committee, was sentenced to 15 days in jail on charges organizing an unsanctioned protest. The state-run factory, which accounts for a fifth of the world’s potash fertilizer output, is the nation’s top cash earner.

Workers at the factory and some other state-run plants went on strike two weeks ago to protest the election results, posing an unprecedented challenge to Lukashenka. The Belaruskali strike committee spokesman, Gleb Sandras, told AP news agency that the potash mines are now working after state security services pressured workers to end the strike.

“The authorities have powerful economic instruments. They are blackmailing workers with mass dismissals,” Sandras said.

Bokun’s detention follows the arrests of strike leaders at two other major industrial plants in Minsk last week. Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Nazarov said on August 31 that all major industrial plants have resumed normal operations.

Lukashenka has shown no sign of giving in to nearly three week of protests, cracking down on the opposition despite international outrage and the threat of isolation. The democracy movement is demanding Lukashenka’s resignation, the release of all political prisoners, and free and fair elections.