During the protests that took place in Belarus on Sunday, October 18, 198 people were detained. This was stated in the human rights center Viasna, not registered by the authorities.
Earlier it was reported about 159 detainees, of which 138 were in Minsk.
Most of the arrests took place in Minsk, but human rights activists also claim that they were detained in Svetlogorsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Zhodino, Fanipoli, Smorgon, Novopolotsk, Dzerzhinsk, Gomel, Novogrudok.
This Sunday, the rally of the Belarusian opposition called “Partisan March” in Minsk took place along a new route. According to Gazeta.ru, about 15 thousand people took part in the protest movement.
To disperse the protesters, law enforcement agencies used special equipment, including rubber bullets. The Municipal Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee reported that this was done after the demonstrators started throwing stones at the service vehicles and law enforcement officers.
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission, the current head of state, Alexander Lukashenko, won. Those who disagreed with this result began to take to the streets. Clashes with law enforcement officers began, and the protests continue to this day.
Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya did not recognize the election results and called on the international community to support the demonstrators. The EU and the USA were considered illegitimate President Lukashenko.