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Crisis in Belarus

No one detained during opposition protests in Minsk on Sunday - interior ministry

According to Belarusian Interior Ministry Spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova, it is difficult to say how many people took part in Sunday’s opposition March of New Belarus

MINSK, August 23. /TASS/. No one was detained during opposition protests in Minsk on Sunday, Belarusian Interior Ministry Spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told TASS.

"No one was detained in Minsk. No emergencies were reported. General information about the situation in the country will be summed up by Monday morning," she said.

According to Chemodanova, it is difficult to say how many people took part in Sunday’s opposition March of New Belarus. "People were moving about the city, in large groups. There was no single venue," she explained.

On August 9, Belarus held its sixth presidential election since declaring independence in 1991. According to the final results of Sunday’s voting, the incumbent president, Alexander Lukashenko, won 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, scored 10.12% of votes.

Mass protests and clashes with police took place in Minsk and other Belarusian cities after exit poll results were made public. As a result, some 7,000 people were detained, dozens of law enforcers and demonstrators were injured in the first days of protests. Rallies continue to this day.

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Belarus Alexander Lukashenko

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