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Crisis in Belarus

Several thousand women stage protest campaign in center of Minsk

The police warned the protesters about administrative responsibility for participating in the action, but no arrests ensued

© Nataliya Fedosenko/TASS

MINSK, August 29. /TASS/. Several thousand women are holding a protest campaign called Women's march in the center of the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Saturday, a TASS correspondent reported scene. The march started at about 4 p.m. Moscow time.

The women were carrying flowers, white-red-white flags and white-red-white umbrellas, and chanting slogans: "Shame!", "We will not forget, we will not forgive!", "Long live Belarus!".

The protesters planned to march along Independence avenue, but minibuses blocked their way.

The police asked the protesters to free the traffic way of the avenue, but the women continued to move forward for a while. The law enforcement officers called on the crowd not to disturb public order and to stop the unsanctioned walkout. The police warned the protesters about administrative responsibility for participating in the action, but no arrests ensued.

However, Radio Liberty reported that two of its reporters, who were covering the march in a live broadcast were detained by the police.

Rallies are also being held in some other cities of the republic, in particular, in Brest and Gomel, according to the Belarusian opposition media. There people line up in chains of solidarity, holding flowers and white-red-white flags and balloons in their hands.

Motor rally in support of Lukashenko

On Saturday, two motor rallies were held in Minsk capital in support of the President of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko. According to the tut.by online edition, one of them was held in the city center under the motto "For Peace, For Belarus.". More than 100 cars carrying red-green flags of Belarus took part in the rally. The second motor rally of supporters of the current government, titled the Golden Ring of Minsk Region, kicked off from the Mound of Glory memorial complex near Minsk. According to BelTA, 800 people took part in it. The total length of the route was 200 km.

Belarus held its presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko received 80.1% of the vote, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya garnered 10.12%. She refused to recognize the election’s results, left Belarus and is currently in Lithuania. Protests erupted in the country's capital of Minsk and several other cities following the presidential vote, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers.

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