Belarusian security forces violently confronted large groups of protesters for the first time since early August on Oct. 11. Tens of thousands marched in Minsk on Oct. 11 despite heavy rain. Belarusian security forces directly confronted concentrated protesters using water cannons, stun grenades, and firearms.[Belarusian security forces have refrained from directly confronting large groups of protesters since early August. Security forces detained nearly 400 protesters and severely injured dozens. Security forces additionally detained over 40 foreign and domestic journalists. Nikolai Karpiankou, director of Belarus’s anti-corruption bureau, and Dmitry Balaba, head of Minsk’s OMON riot police, personally directed the crackdown in Minsk. Protests largely dispersed by 7 pm local time, though small groups of protesters in the low hundreds re-gathered in Minsk around 10 pm.
Protests in Belarus
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Demonstrators paste photos of opposition supporters killed during the post-election protests on the Okrestina prison wall during a rally demanding to free jailed activists of the opposition in Minsk on Oct. 4, 2020.
