MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2020) The rally in support of those opposing the results of the Belarusian presidential election that was held on Independence Square in Minsk on Monday has ended, a Sputnik correspondent reports from the scene.
The rally lasted about 19 hours, with around 1,500 people participating at one point. Earlier, it was reported that about 300 people had gathered in central Minsk. No opposition politicians attended the event.
A police spokesperson told Sputnik that detentions were made during the Monday rally, but the exact number has not been verified yet.
Several people were detained when they refused to put white-red-white flags away at the request of police, before the majority of rally participants showed up.
According to a Sputnik correspondent, the protesters chanted slogans, and, from time to time, led by an unknown supporter of the opposition with a microphone, they walked around the square. Police officers predominantly did not interfere with what was happening on Independence Square in the Belarusian capital on Monday.
A wave of protests has swept Belarus in the wake of the presidential election that saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term. The early days of demonstrations were marked by police violence, but law enforcement officers have since halted their excessive use of force. Over 6,700 people have been detained, and hundreds have been injured, including more than 150 law enforcement officers. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, three people have died during the protests.
