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About 3,000 people detained during protests in Belarus, Interior Ministry says

According to the ministry's spokeswoman, 39 law enforcement officers and over 50 civilians were injured

MINSK, August 10. /TASS/. About 3,000 people were detained in Belarus during protests following Sunday’s presidential vote, Interior Ministry Spokesperson Olga Chemodanova told TASS.

"About 3,000 people were detained across the country, including 1,000 in Minsk and over 2,000 in other regions," she pointed out.

The spokesperson added that in the evening of August 9 and in the early hours of August 10, the Belarusian public had gathered near polling stations and on central squares in 33 Belarusian cities.

"During unauthorized protests, 39 law enforcement officers and over 50 civilians were injured," she added.

On Sunday night into Monday morning, mass protests took place in Minsk and other Belarusian regions in the wake of the Belarusian presidential election. Law enforcement officers were forced to use special means of constraint to subdue the protesters.

On August 9, a presidential election was held in Belarus. According to the preliminary results published on Monday by the Belarusian Election Commission, Lukashenko has won with 80.23% of the vote. Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has come in second with 9.90%. The other three candidates received fewer than 2% of the vote.