Hundreds of protesters detained during mass rallies in Belarus
During the protests in Belarus on October 4, 317 people were detained, the Belarusian Interior Ministry reported on Monday, October 5. 258 detainees will remain in pre-trial detention. Water cannons were used against protesters in Minsk, and gas was used in Vitebsk and Grodno, the Interior Ministry said.
According to the Ministry, 10 rallies took place in the country the day before. In most cities, the events gathered no more than 100 people. According to the Ministry, about 10,000 people took part in the action in Minsk. At the same time, the Belarusian online publication Tut.by estimated the number of demonstrators in the tens of thousands but stressed that the exact number cannot be calculated.
The human rights center "Vesna" drew up its list of detainees on October 4. The list contains the names of 251 people, including journalists.
Mass protests have continued in Belarus for almost two months after the presidential elections on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission, Alexander Lukashenko won with more than 80 percent of the votes, and his main rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya received about 10 percent. The protests of those who are convinced of falsification of the voting results were suppressed by riot police and special forces. The security forces were showing unprecedented cruelty in dispersing the demonstrators.
In October, the European Union imposed sanctions on 40 officials from Belarus for rigging elections and repression against protesters. Among them are the head of the Interior Ministry of Belarus and his deputies, as well as the entire Central Election Commission. These persons on the list are forbidden to enter the European Union, and if they have assets in the territory of the association, they will be frozen.