Revolt, repression and reprisals: A look back at a year of turmoil in Belarus

Monday marks one year since the disputed election in Belarus, which sparked a protest movement of unprecedented size.

Monday marks one year since the disputed presidential election in Belarus, which sparked a protest movement of unprecedented size in a country that has been labelled “the last dictatorship in Europe”.

Alexander Lukashenko was declared the victor - by a landslide - in the August 9 vote.

In fact, he's been declared the winner of every presidential election held in the country since it split from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Many believe he has held onto this position by rigging elections. This was the accusation of the opposition in Belarus, and tens of thousands of the general public, who took to the streets following the 2020 election result.

The year following the election has seen virtually the entire political opposition in Belarus locked up or forced to flee over the border. Sanctions have been levied on Lukashenko and his associates. And the trouble raging in the country has reverberated across Europe.