MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) Alexey Larkin, a Russian journalist with the WarGonzo military project, told Sputnik on Tuesday that his colleague, Semyon Pegov, who was detained in the Belarusian capital of Minsk during Sunday night protests, was beaten by a police baton on his head.
Larkin has previously told Sputnik that Pegov was suspected to have a concussion.
"[On Sunday] evening, Semyon Pegov went to shoot with a small camera what was happening in the streets of Minsk and was hit in the back on the head with a baton, after which he also ended up at the police station," the journalist said.
According to Larkin, Pegov and his cameraman, Vladislav Zizdak, were released upon the Russian embassy's intervention, as well as the assistance of the Russian and Belarusian Foreign Ministries.
Several Russian media outlets, including Sputnik Belarus, RT, tv Rain, Meduza and Daily Storm, have said that their reporters have been detained in Minsk.
Later in the day, the Daily Storm's Anton Starkov confirmed to Sputnik that all the released Russian journalists were feeling fine and that they were heading back home after crossing the border.
"Of course, we have contacted our relatives. We are feeling okay, the mood is excellent, wonderful!" he added.
Protests were held throughout Belarus on Sunday night and continued through Tuesday after preliminary results showed incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko winning the election with over 80 percent of the vote.
