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Belarusian law enforcement officers quell protests in Minsk residential districts

According to eyewitnesses, police and security forces are responding in a more decisive and tougher way than the day before

MINSK, August 12. /TASS/. Protests in Minsk against the result of presidential elections in Belarus moved to residential districts on Tuesday as almost the entire city center was blocked by riot police and security officers.

According to TASS correspondents, hundreds of people took to the streets in the residential districts of Malinovka in the southwest, Uruchye in the northeast and Serebryanka in the south. Almost immediately, police reinforcements arrived there to quell the unrest, including with the use of stun grenades and rubber bullets. In some places, protestors tried to erect barricades, but those attempts were quickly thwarted.

According to eyewitnesses, police and security forces are responding in a more decisive and tougher way than the day before. Many passers-by who did not take part in the protest were apprehended. Officers stop cars and detain passengers who wear white bracelets - a symbol of the protest.

Journalists are also being treated in a tough manner, with several cases of use of force against accredited journalists being 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.