SAEDNEWS Oct. 4: Belarusian police have used water cannon to disperse anti-government protesters who once again took to the streets of the capital, according to media reports and videos posted in social media.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Minsk on Sunday to call on authorities to free political prisoners, in what have become regular opposition rallies since Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of a disputed presidential election on August 9.
The 65-year-old’s opponents say the polls were rigged and have demanded his resignation. Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and was inaugurated in late September in a ceremony held without any prior announcement.
Interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told the AFP news agency water cannon had been used in the latest rally in Minsk and there had been detentions but provided no further details. Rights group Viasna said demonstrators were held in the capital, as well as other places including Vitebsk and Gomel.
Prior to the march, Belarus withdrew the accreditation of all foreign correspondents with immediate effect on Saturday, making independent coverage of protests difficult.
Mobile internet in Minsk was down from around midday on Sunday. The weekly protests usually see a large turnout; some 100,000 people took part in last weekend’s gathering when more than 350 of them were arrested (Al Jazeera).
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