MINSK: Belarusian police on Sunday used water cannon to disperse protesters in the capital Minsk as tens of thousands marched to demand the release of political prisoners.
Demonstrators took to the streets despite warnings they could face prison and dedicated their latest march - which came after Brussels and Washington introduced sanctions against some Belarusian officials - to the plight of dozens of political prisoners.
Ahead of the march, the government sought to complicate media coverage of opposition rallies against strongman Alexander Lukashenko's regime, withdrawing the accreditation of all foreign journalists.
On Sunday, internet and cell phone services were disrupted. But pictures and videos posted on social media showed huge crowds gathering in Minsk and protesters marching towards a detention centre, with some carrying portraits of victims of police abuse. Other protesters waved red-and-white opposition flags and beat drums. "Set them free!" demonstrators chanted after they reached the notorious jail on Okrestin Street which some have dubbed a "torture chamber".
The opposition movement calling for an end to strongman Lukashenko's rule has kept up a series of large-scale demonstrations since his controversial election win on August 9, with 100,000 people or more taking to the streets every Sunday.
Since the start of the post-election crackdown in which several people have died, harrowing accounts have emerged of abuse in the Minsk jail. Many said they had been tortured, beaten and humiliated there. After the march had begun in the centre of the capital, police confirmed they had moved in on the protest, which like others was considered an illegal gathering. Interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told AFP that water cannon had been used in Minsk and that there had been detentions, but provided no further details.
Rights group Viasna said more than 100 demonstrators were detained in Minsk and elsewhere. Protester Natalia Samotyia said she saw police beat up protesters. "I stood on a bridge and heard people's terrible screams," she told AFP. Another protester, Yakov Baranovsky, said police blasted him and another demonstrators with water cannon, forcing them to seek shelter. "Everything has been done to make people disperse," the 51-year-old engineer said. Belarusians this week received official text messages saying they could face criminal responsibility for taking part in "unsanctioned" rallies.
Ahead of the rally, the Nexta Live opposition Telegram channel, which has coordinated protesters and has more than two million subscribers, urged Belarusians to march towards the Minsk jail in support of political prisoners.
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