In the capital of Lithuania, deputies and journalists planted the Alley of Belarusian Democracy Association of Journalists. ” Edgar Rinkevich and the Mayor of Riga Martins Stakis. Minsk opened a criminal case against officials under the article “Inciting ethnic hatred” after they removed the national flag of Belarus from the square in Riga, where the flags of the countries participating in the World Ice Hockey Championship were displayed. The canvas was replaced with a white-red-white flag used by the Belarusian opposition.
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on August 9, 2020. The CEC announced that the current head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, won 80 percent of the vote. This sparked massive protests across the country that lasted several months.