Belarus Detains At Least 17 On Independence Day Over Election Protests - Rights Group

Belarus Detains at Least 17 on Independence Day Over Election Protests - Rights Group

A minimum of 17 opposition-minded citizens were detained in Belarus on Friday during the celebration of Independence Day, the Vesna human rights center, unregistered by the republic's authorities, said on Saturday

MISNK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th July, 2020) A minimum of 17 opposition-minded citizens were detained in Belarus on Friday during the celebration of Independence Day, the Vesna human rights center, unregistered by the republic's authorities, said on Saturday.

"Independence Day is celebrated in Belarus on July 3. On various social networks, people were called to go to the main streets of cities and express their disagreement with how the [presidential] election campaign in Belarus was going. Police began to detain people. At least 17 people were detained throughout Belarus on July 3," Viasna said in a statement on its website.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the operational situation during the celebration of Independence Day in the republic was calm, there were no emergencies and incidents at the venues. At the same time, according to the agency, isolated facts of violation of public order outside the places of celebrations were recorded.

A presidential election campaign is underway in Belarus; elections are scheduled for August 9. The campaign has featured widespread detentions for protests and picketing in supports of presidential contenders running against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

While the country's interior ministry has maintained that most of the detentions and arrest are made on the ground of violation of public order, more than two dozen people, including politicians, bloggers and opposition activists, are under investigation in criminal cases, they are recognized as political prisoners by human rights activists and a widening circle of the international community.