World

Dozens arrested at mass protests in Belarus

September 7, 2020 7:39 am

[Source: BBC]

Police in Belarus have made at least 100 arrests at protest rallies in the capital Minsk and other towns in the former Soviet republic.

In Minsk, they charged demonstrators near the presidential palace, firing pepper spray and wielding batons.

Tens of thousands of people rallied in the city for a protest against President Alexander Lukashenko.

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They want the long-time president to resign after his re-election last month amid allegations of ballot-rigging.

Mass unrest since then has seen at least four people killed and hundreds injured as the government tries to stamp out dissent.

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.