MINSK, September 12. /TASS/. Belarusian law enforcement officers have detained about 30 women protesting on Svoboda (Liberty) Square in downtown Minsk on Saturday.
A TASS correspondent has reported from the site that women began gathering on Svoboda Square following an appeal from the opposition who had promised to lead "the most massive and the loudest march of women."
On Friday, the organizers advised the participants to take "photos and placards in support of all repressed Belarussian women" and loudly shout their names to add "any sound effects" to the march.
Around 200 people have gathered on the square. Some women are wrapped in white-red-white flags. Initially, the police were watching the rally, warning the protesters that the rally was unsanctioned and called on them to disperse. Journalists were asked to show their accreditation.
Later, the police began apprehending the protesting women. About 30 of them were taken away in police vans. Then the bulk of protesters left Svoboda Square, but were replaced by a new march under the white-red-white flags of the Belarusian opposition. The female protesters beat pans chanting anti-government slogans.
Belarus held its presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission’s data, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won 80.10% of the vote, whereas Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was considered to be his key rival, garnered 10.12% of the ballot. Subsequently, she refused to recognize the outcome of the polls. After the results of exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests flared up in downtown Minsk and other cities. In the early days they were accompanied by clashes between protesters and police. The authorities call for an end to illegal rallies, while the Coordination Council set up by the opposition demands more protests.