On March 25th, the Belarusian opposition and diaspora celebrate Freedom Day, which is derived from the independence day of the People's Republic of Belarus declared on 25 March 1918.

The regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenko responded with arrests when the country's opposition intended to hold commemorations, with Ihari Barysov, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), detained on Sunday evening." We condemn the actions of the Lukashenko regime. Accusations against the opposition of preparing provocations or a desire to destabilise the situation in the country are unfounded and demonstrate the fear of the regime and the incomphension of the situation. Although such decisions are becoming commonplace for the Belarusian authorities, they are not justified in any way," says Mindaugas Sinkevičius, interim chairman of the LSDP.The arrest is precisely at this time, just before Freedom Day, he says, an ordinary attempt to suppress opposition activities and deter citizens from participating in protests." However, Belarusians have already demonstrated their determination to make changes. Since the first protests in May, when Lukashenko announced his candidacy in the presidential election, public campaigns have been going on for 10 months and are unlikely to stop any time soon. It is clear that Belarusian society is fighting for its rights and freedoms and these repressions will not deter them from their purpose," sinkevičius said.Media reports that from Monday evening it is not possible to contact another representative of the opposition, Mikalaj Kazlov, a member of the Coordinating Council.