Belarus women rally in solidarity with protesters

Nearly 200 women gathered in the capital of Belarus on Wednesday to show solidarity with protesters injured in the latest rallies against the results of the country's presidential election.

The women, many carrying flowers, held hands and formed a long line near a market in central Minsk.

After a while, they marched down the city's streets, chanting "Shame!" and decrying police violence against participants in protests that resulted in thousands being detained and scores being injured.

Similar gatherings of women were reported elsewhere in Minsk and in other cities.

The Central Election Commission on Monday reported that President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in Sunday's election with 80% of the vote.

Top opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who had attracted massive crowds at campaign events where voters expressed frustration with the authoritarian Lukashenko's 26-year rule, got just 10%.

Thousands demonstrated in Minsk and dozens of other cities for three nights to contest the election results.

Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who entered the race after her husband’s jailing in Belarus, left the country for Lithuania on Tuesday in an abrupt about-face, hours after publicly disputing the vote results and submitting a formal request for a recount.

Her campaign said she made the move under duress.