MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2020) Several dozen students protesting in the Belarusian capital Minsk broke through police barricades near the KGB headquarters, leading to a handful of detentions, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene Tuesday.
Students from several universities have used September 1, the traditional beginning of the educational year, to protest against President Alexander Lukashenko.
Police initially did not impede the youth protest but attempted to keep the crowds clear of key government buildings. The altercations only began when students began trying to evade police officers just outside the country's main internal security headquarters.
Sputnik's Minsk correspondent reported witnessing at least two students being taken away by police.
The student protest was shortly followed by a larger, peaceful rally in central Minsk.
Several hundred gathered in central Minsk at dusk and chanted slogans against Lukashenko and denouncing the August 9 election.
Special police forces remained present throughout the gathering, calling on citizens to disperse but refraining from engaging.
The crowds dispersed shortly before 9 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT).
Belarus is currently facing mass opposition protests that broke out following the presidential election that saw President Alexander Lukashenko reelected for a sixth term. While electoral authorities maintain that Lukashenko collected over 80 percent of the vote, the opposition insists that his key contender, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won the election. Opposition figures also accuse the security forces of having resorted to excessive violence during the protests.
