MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th October, 2020) More than 500 people were detained during opposition rallies across Belarus on Sunday, which the authorities consider a violation of the current regulations on mass events, the Belarusian Ministry of the Interior said on Monday.
Marches of the Belarusian opposition on weekends have become a signature feature of the post-electoral protests. The rally on Sunday, in particular, was expected to launch a nationwide strike, called for by ex-presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in an ultimatum to the incumbent authorities to yield power and cease violent crackdowns on protesters.
"A total of 523 people were detained over violations of law on mass events, including 160 in Minsk," the ministry said on Telegram.
According to ministry's spokeswoman, Olga Chemodanova, 19 rallies were held across Belarus on Sunday, with the law enforcement officers "undertaking the necessary measures to ensure public order and security during them," including by firing tear gas.
Chemodanova said that there were "scattered cases of radical actions, including arson of car tires ... in Minsk and an attempted arson of a ... small shop in the city of Gomel."
The rally in Minsk was traditionally the largest. As protesters headed to the presidential palace, security forces have used "special equipment" to disperse them, and, while the Interior Ministry did not specify what sort of equipment had been used, eyewitnesses said on the internet that officers had fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
Mass opposition protests have been ongoing in Belarus since the August 9 presidential election in which the incumbent leader, Alexander Lukashenko, secured his sixth consecutive term. The opposition has refused to recognize the official results and continues holding rallies.
