MINSK, December 13. /TASS/. More than 300 protesters were detained during protests in Minsk on Sunday, spokesman for the Minsk police department Roman Lashkevich said.
"More than 300 people were detained in Minsk on charges of violating the law on mass gatherings (article 23.34 of the Belarusian Code of Administrative Offense) and for disobedience of police orders (article 23.4 of the Belarusian Code of Administrative Offense)," he said.
More protests of the opponents of the current authorities were held on Sunday in Belarus. In Minsk, protesters gathered in groups of from several dozen to several hundred people in a number of residential quarters. After law enforcers dispersed the protesters they tried to gather in groups again. On the 127th day of protests this Sunday, the authorities did not close metro stations and block mobile communication for the first time.
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. The biggest protests are held in Minsk and a number of other cities on Sundays.