Thousands in Belarus protest Lukashenko’s rule

MINSK: Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Belarus on Sunday as they sought to keep the pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko over his contested re-election.

In the capital Minsk, Lukashenko’s critics staged a number of scattered protests across the city, with some groups numbering a few dozen participants and others a few hundred.

The Viasna rights group said more than 30 people were detained in Minsk and other cities.

Police with dogs patrolled the streets as authorities deployed troops and water cannon.

Since Lukashenko’s disputed re-election to a sixth term in August, Belarus has been caught in its most serious political crisis in modern history, with protesters taking to the streets and authorities cracking down on the opposition.

For months tens of thousands of people staged a massive march through Minsk but protesters have over the past few weeks changed their tactics to avoid large-scale detentions by instead turning up for numerous smaller protests across town.—AFP