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Belarusian Investigative Committee searches for coordinators of mass turmoil

The investigators came to the conclusion that "coordinators were professionally organizing the crowd and instigated the citizens to aggressive actions"

MINSK, August 13. /TASS/. Belarusian Investigative Committee addressed the citizens asking for assistance in search for coordinators of actions of participants of mass disturbances, the BelTA news agency reported on Thursday, quoting the representatives of the investigative agency.

"During examining of the video surveillance footage the investigators came to the conclusion that coordinators were professionally organizing the crowd and instigated the citizens to aggressive actions," the investigation representatives noted.

The committee also reported that "there were people planted in the crowd who were instigating the violence against the law enforcement officials thus provoking the implementation of forceful measures while they themselves during these actions were walking away from the sites of confrontation between the citizens and the riot police."

In that respect, the Investigative Committee addressed the eyewitnesses of these events. "If you have video footage or photographs of these individuals or if you possess the information important for the investigation on the identities of instigators and coordinators, please report this to the operative duty services of the Minsk directorate of the Investigative Committee," the committee noted. "Only together we are able to stop the mass turmoil, to ensure security for everyone and to bring back peace to our native land," the agency said.

The presidential election was held in Belarus on August 9. According to the preliminary data of the Central Election Committee, incumbent president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko got 80.08% of the vote. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who was considered his main opponent, was second with 10.09%. After exit poll results were announced in the evening of August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other regions of the country, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces. As a result, according to the republic’s Interior Ministry, over 6,000 people were detained, dozens of policemen and protesters were injured.