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Vesna human rights center reports over 300 people apprehended in Belarus Sunday

Previously, Ministry of the Interior spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova reported apprehension of about 200 people

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Belarusian unregistered human rights center Vesna claimed on its website that 339 protesters were apprehended in the republic Sunday.

Previously, Ministry of the Interior spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova reported apprehension of about 200 people.

According to Vesna, protesters, including several prominent Belarusian journalists, were apprehended in a number of Belarusian cities.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

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