Belarusian police have detained dozens of protesters and at least five journalists in several cities on Saturday, the human rights organization Vyasna-96 said. Opposition media, Nexta, which mobilizes and coordinates protests, this week called on opposition supporters to launch a second wave of demonstrations, giving new impetus to the protest movement against Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, which had stalled in the winter months following brutal repression by security authorities. In Minsk, opposition supporters were preparing to gather in the city center, but police blocked several streets, the city’s main square and the park. Video recordings in the media and social networks show that military equipment has been tightened in the center of the capital. According to Vyasna-96, the detainees also include two journalists from the independent news site Tut.by. In turn, this site reports that Natalia Dulina, a member of the main opposition coordination council, has also been detained. In the afternoon, Nexta calls on protesters to regroup and organize separate protests in various parts of Belarus. On Thursday, when the opposition celebrated Belarus’ Freedom Day, commemorating the 103rd anniversary of the proclamation of independence by the People’s Republic of Belarus, which had been proclaimed in March 1918 for only a short time, police detained at least 176 people, according to Vyasna-96.
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