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Two journalists covering protests detained in Vitebsk

According to tut.by, they are Ales Piletsky, its photographer, and Sputnik reporter Pavel Vur

MINSK, October 25. /TASS/. Police have detained two journalists covering opposition protests in the Belarusian city of Vitebsk, tut.by internet portal reported on Sunday.

According to tut.by, they are Ales Piletsky, its photographer, and Sputnik reporter Pavel Vur.

Meanwhile, the Vesna unregistered human rights center reported the detention of more than 80 protesters in the country.

Opposition marches dubbed Popular Ultimatum are being held in Minsk and other Belarusian cities on Sunday, which is the last day of an ultimatum set by former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to President Alexander Lukashenko. The demands include resignation of the incumbent president, freedom to political prisoners and cessation of violence. The opposition calls on workers of industrial enterprises to go on strike from Monday in case these demands are not satisfied.

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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