Belarusian leader vows to defeat foreign-backed ‘rebellion’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian leader has denounced six months of protests against his rule as a foreign-directed “rebellion” and vowed to resist the pressure. President Alexander Lukashenko didn’t elaborate, but over the past several months he has repeatedly accused the West of fomenting the protests. He was speaking to 2,700 participants of the All-Belarus People’s Assembly. Lukashenko on Thursday also announced a constitutional reform that the opposition rejected as a window dressing. Belarus has been engulfed by protests ever since official results from the Aug. 9 presidential election gave Lukashenko a landslide victory.