Protests against the results of Belarus’ presidential election continued for a fourth day Thursday, the Interior Ministry said.
The unrest is dying down, with fewer people taking to the streets. However, aggression against law enforcement personnel remains high, ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova posted on her official Telegram channel.
In total, 103 law enforcement officers have been injured in clashes with protesters since Aug. 9. Over 28 officers were hospitalized, she said.
Protesters tried to block main transport arteries in the capital Minsk, causing public transport disruptions. Police used arms to stop aggressive attacks in several hotspots. However, no one was killed. More than 700 people have been detained since Wednesday, raising the number of arrests to 5,700.
Early Thursday morning, people with flowers lined up in “a chain of solidarity” to support the people in custody.
Alexander Lukashenko officially won Sunday’s election with 80% of the vote. His main rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya scored only 10.09%. The opposition refused to recognize the election results and launched demonstrations.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
