This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
A man has been hospitalized in grave condition after setting himself on fire in the central Independence Square in Minsk, where mass protests demanding the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka have been under way since August.
Video of the incident on January 22 showed a man engulfed in a fiery ball rolling on the ground for several seconds, with what appears to be a gas canister nearby.
One video that captured the incident shows police officers trying to cover him with a blanket to extinguish the fire.
The incident took place near the building that houses the government, parliament, Minsk city administration, and the City Council.
Minsk city administration spokeswoman Natallya Hanusevich said in a statement that the incident was being investigated.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chamadanava added in a statement that “at this point, it is not possible to give detailed information on the incident.”
