TEHRAN (Iran News) – At least 51 people were detained during protests in Belarus on August 25, which were attended by 4,800 citizens, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
“The biggest number of protesters were in Minsk, Brest and Molodechno,” the ministry said, TASS reported.
Some 16,750 people also took part in the events in support of peace, security and calm in Belarus. The most active events took place in the Brest and Grodno regions as well as in the capital and in the Minsk Region.
Belarus has been hit by mass protests after the August 9 presidential election. The protesters challenged the outcome of the vote. According to the final data of the Central Election Commission, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won 80.10% of the vote. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was considered as his key rival, garnered 10.12% of the ballot. She did not recognize the outcome of the polls and fled to Lithuania.
During the first days of riots, the protesters clashed with police. Over 6,000 people were detained while dozens of police officers and protesters were injured. Later, the authorities confirmed four deaths, while the investigators said only one person died during the riots. The opposition insists that at least six people died and dozens went missing.
- source : Tasnim, Iran News
