Moscow, Nov. 9, (dpa/GNA) – Hundreds of protesters were detained by uniformed masked men in Belarus on Sunday, in the latest anti-government protests since a disputed election in August.
Photos and videos from Minsk showed the men, who often wore no identification, brutally pressing peaceful protesters to the ground and forcing them into prisoner transporters.
Human rights organization Viasna reported that around 800 people had been taken into custody by late afternoon during the demonstrations, which also took place in cities beyond the capital.
There have been mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko every weekend in Minsk for nearly three months, following an August 9 presidential election that protesters alleged was rigged.
In Minsk, the Belarusian special police force confronted groups of people who tried to congregate in the city centre. As every Sunday, thousands of people were on the streets for the unauthorized marches.
The metro stations in Minsk were closed so that demonstrators could not enter the city centre and troops blocked off several streets with heavy equipment. Mobile internet was also largely switched off.
Despite the ban on demonstrations and the threat of violence from the authorities, processions of people marched on several streets in the city chanting “Long live Belarus!”
The opposition considers its leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, to be the true winner of the vote. Tikhanovskaya, who has fled Belarus, is supported by the EU. Lukashenko receives backing from Russia.
GNA