About 8 thousand people took part in protest actions that took place throughout Belarus on October 18. This was announced on Monday, October 19, by the press secretary of the Belarusian Interior Ministry Olga Chemodanova.
“On October 18, 16 protest actions were recorded in various settlements of the country, the number of which was about 8 thousand people. In all regional centers, with the exception of the capital, they were few (from 10 to 100 participants), ”she wrote in her Telegram channel.
Chemodanova also stressed that the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs had taken all the necessary measures to maintain order and ensure public safety.
A spokeswoman for the Belarusian ministry added that the largest number of protesters was recorded in Minsk – at the peak, there were about 7 thousand protesters on the streets. In addition, Chemodanova noted that individuals in the capital actively resisted the police. To prevent an attack on law enforcement officers, special means were used, the “most zealous” participants of the action were detained.
On the eve of the action of the Belarusian opposition called “Partisan March” took place in Minsk along a new route. As Gazeta.ru reported, 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.
According to Viasna, a human rights center not registered by the authorities, 198 people were detained during the protests that took place throughout Belarus on October 18.
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.