MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Police and security officers in Belarus have beaten up and detained dozens of protesters who rallied against their authoritarian president's policies on the 17th anniversary of his rule.
Alexander Lukashenko was inaugurated as Belarus’ president in 1994 and has won three re-elections that Western observers said were flawed and unfair. After last December’s vote, Lukashenko orchestrated a violent crackdown on opposition and critics.
About 200 protesters clapped their hands and stopped their feet as part of "silent" rallies that have been held in the Belarus capital, Minsk, every Wednesday for nine weeks in a row despite an official ban.
An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of plainclothes police kick, punch the protesters before forcing them into unmarked vans.
