On Wednesday, several dozen Belarusians gathered outside the country’s embassy in Lithuania to protest against Alexander Lukashenko’s secret inauguration.
Anastasia Markevich, a Belarusian studying in Lithuania, described the inauguration as absurd, saying she does not consider Lukashenko a legitimate leader.
"I think it's absurd. We don't consider Lukashenko a legitimate president. I don't think today's inauguration was legitimate," said Markevich, while she held a poster supporting Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the leading opposition candidate in the August 9 presidential election.
Read more: Lithuanian leaders, Tikhanovskaya condemn Lukashenko's inauguration
Protesters set up several stands with photographs of police violence during the crackdown in Belarus and lit candles. Some passing cars honked in support.
"Lukashenko is a dictator, and the inauguration is a farce; it was organised secretly," Aleksey Tyoply told BNS. "All those in power must be replaced, not only the president.”
Yulia Rasatneva, another protester, said she believes Belarusians will achieve a free and democratic election.
"There's a good Lithuanian word, nesamonė [nonsense]," she said. "I can't even describe in words what I'm thinking about this situation, but I believe that Belarusians will stand up for their freedom."
Lukashenko has faced unprecedented protests after claiming a landslide victory in the August 9 presidential election.
The authoritarian leader, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, was inaugurated for a sixth term as president on Wednesday.
The inauguration ceremony, whose date had not been announced, took place in the Palace of Independence in Minsk.
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