Rights group: Scores detained during protests in Belarus

Scores of people were detained in Belarus on Sunday during protests against country’s authoritarian leer, who won his sixth term in office in a vote widely seen as rigged, a Belarusian rights group said. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Belarusian capital Minsk for 10th consecutive Sunday, demanding resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has run country with an iron fist for 26 years. Viasna human rights center estimated that around 100,000 people took part in protest, which police moved to disperse with water canns, stun grenes and truncheons.

Rallies also took place in or cities, including Brest, Vitebsk and Grod. Dozens of protesters sustained injuries, according to Viasna. group released a list of protesters detained across country on its website that by Sunday evening h more than 300 names on it.

“This has been harshest dispersal of a Sunday march since August,” Viasna leer Ales Bialiatski told Associated Press. Mass protests have rocked Belarus for over two months, with largest ones held on Sundays and drawing up to 200,000 people. unprecedented unrest was triggered by results of Aug. 9 presidential election that handed Lukashenko a victory with 80% of vote.

His main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhauskaya, got 10%. She and her supporters refused to recognize results, saying outcome of vote was manipulated. In first days of protests, Belarusian authorities cracked down brutally on protesters, with police detaining thousands and injuring scores with truncheons, rubber bullets and stun grenes. violent response to rallies prompted international outr.

government has since scaled down on violence but has maintained pressure, detaining hundreds of protesters and prosecuting top activists. Prominent members of opposition’s Coordination Council, formed to push for a transition of power, have been arrested or forced to leave country.

At least 35 journalists have been detained during protests on Sunday, according to Belarusian Association of Journalists. Police and or security forces blocked off central areas of Minsk, and military trucks and armored carriers were seen in city before rally.

On Saturday, Lukashenko visited a prison to talk to opposition activists, who have been jailed for challenging his reelection. Lukashenko’s office said that “ goal of president was to hear everyone’s opinion.” Commentators said move was an attempt to imitate a dialogue that would allow Lukashenko to drown protests in talks and reduce tensions.

Following detentions and beatings during Sunday's protest, Bialiatski of Viasna center said that “inste of a dialogue, Belarusians received ar strong-arm dispersal (of a protest) with beaten and injured.”

Tsikhauskaya, who is in exile in Lithuania after leaving Belarus in fear for her safety and that of her children, said Sunday that any dialogue with authorities should start only after y stop detentions and release political prisoners.

“We are all working toger to stop forceful detentions, release political prisoners and set a time and a place for talks. If se demands are t met, n y are trying to deceive us," Tsikhauskaya said in a statement.

She encourd Belarusians on Sunday to continue peaceful protests. “We will continue to peacefully and persistently come out to marches and demand (what we want) — new free and transparent elections,” Tsikhnaouskaya said.