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Crisis in Belarus

Minsk protests move from city center to residential districts

Law enforcement units dispersed a rally in the Malinovka district in the southwest of the Belarusian capital

© AP Photo/Sergei Grits

MINSK, August 11. /TASS/. Protests against the results of the presidential elections in Belarus shifted from downtown Minsk to residential districts on the outskirts of the capital on Tuesday evening.

A TASS correspondent reported that law enforcement units had started to disperse a rally in the Malinovka district in the southwest of the Belarusian capital. Earlier, about 300 people chanting "Go away!" gathered on the Dzerzhinsky Avenue in the area.

Buses with riot police units arrived on site shortly after. Officers in full kit, carrying riot shields, moved along the avenue towards the Malinovka metro station, making detentions. Protestors, who are mostly young people, rushed to hide in the nearby Pavlov Park.

Some time later, police units managed to take the situation under control. A TASS correspondent heard sounds similar to those made by rubber bullets.

Besides, about 350 people gathered in the Uruchye district on Minsk’s western outskirts. Police units have been deployed in the area, but only sporadic detentions have so far been reported. A group of young people was seen erecting a barricade at the intersection of the Pushkin Avenue and Ponomarenko Street.

Later, police used flash-bang grenades to disperse protesters in Uruchye where about 500 people gathered for an unauthorized rally, a TASS correspondent reported.

On August 9, Belarus held its presidential election. Preliminary results show incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko securing his reelection with 80.08% of the votes, while his biggest rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya received 10.09% of the ballots cast. The other three candidates failed to get more than two percent each. After exit poll results were revealed late on August 9, many cities and towns across the country saw mass protests that in some cases turned into clashes with the police. The national interior ministry said some 3,000 people had been detained, dozens of police officers and protesters were injured. Moreover, law enforcement officers detained a few reporters. Tikhanovskaya challenged the results, refused to recognize them and said that she believes herself to be the elected president. She also filed a complaint with the national election commission.

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