Freedom Day rally held in Minsk

Minsk city executive committee gave permission for the rally and the march on the route from the "Kastrychnik" cinema to the Peoples' Friendship park. This route is very different from the one planned by the opposition: they wanted to go to the Kupala monument.

Mikola Statkevich suggested to lay flowers at the Kupala monument and from there to go to the scheduled meeting place at the Academy of Sciences. The head of the Belarusian Popular Front Aliaksei Yanukevich said that they should go on a march along Surhanau Street towards the the Peoples' Friendship park. But just to go and not to hold a rally there.

Freedom Day - the anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic - is celebrated in Belarus on March 25. The establishment of the BPR, which took place on March 25, 1918, is referred to as the most important event in the formation of the Belarusian statehood. You can find out more about this event in our article  called "25 questions and answers from the history of the BPR."

Below, you can read see the photos from the rally in chronological order.