Protesters are seeking the resignation of the long-time president Alexander Lukashenko
WEB DESK
Thousands of people took to street in the Belarusian capital Minsk for a new unsanctioned protest against President Alexander Lukashenko.
Police charged protesters near the presidential palace, firing pepper spray and wielding batons, and several dozen arrests were made. Protesters are seeking the resignation of the long-time president.They accuse the authorities of rigging his re-election just over a month ago, sparking deadly mass unrest.
At least four people have died and hundreds have been injured since then, as the government tried to stamp out dissent.
According to TUT.BY estimates, more than 100 thousand people have come to the Palace of Independence in Minsk today.
Rough detentions took place in Minsk on Chebotarev Street – at least one person on a stretcher was loaded into a medical vehicle. In Grodno, during a clash with security officials, someone sprayed tear gas. Some gas (most likely pepper) was also used in Minsk near the cordon near the Palace of Independence.
A number of opposition figures have fled the country, On Saturday, activist Olga Kovalkova became the latest to say she had taken refuge in neighbouring Poland amid threats of imprisonment.
Mr Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has accused Western nations of interfering.Protesters, human rights activists and observers say riot police are brutally suppressing peaceful marches. The former Soviet republic borders Russia, on which it depends heavily for energy and with which it historically has close ties, as well as Ukraine and EU states.