Belarusian Interior Ministry says 633 protesters were detained on September 6

Belarusian law enforcers detained 633 protesters on Sunday, about 31,000 people took part in the protests, Interior Ministry Spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova said on Monday.

"Yesterday, on September 6, 42 protests were recorded in various populated areas of the country. <…> The total number of participants was about 31,000 people," she said on her Telegram channel. "In all, 633 people were detained for violating the legislation on mass events, 363 people were taken into custody until the consideration of cases on administrative offences in court."

According to the Interior Ministry, in the city of Grodno, radical activists tried to block traffic. They also threw plastic bottles, sticks and stones at law enforcement officers.

Belarus held its presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission’s data, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won 80.10% of the vote, whereas Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was considered to be his key rival, garnered 10.12% of the ballot. Subsequently, she refused to recognize the outcome of the polls. After the results of exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests flared up in downtown Minsk and other cities. In the early days they were accompanied by clashes between protesters and police. The authorities call for an end to illegal rallies, while the Coordination Council set up by the opposition demands more protests.