Belarus — the protests are continuing

The protests continue in Belarus. On Tuesday evening, Minsk city center was blocked by swat teams and other security forces. The protest actions against the results of the presidential elections in Belarus have moved from the center of Minsk to the residential areas of the city. Buses with swat teams were sent to those areas. The police uses flash bangs to disperse the protesters. It was reported that the actions of the police are noticeably more decisive in nature. The ‘TASS’ news agency reported that many random people on the streets were arrested as well. The policemen are searching the residential districts. They stop passing-by cars, and detain passengers with a white bracelet — the symbol of current protest. The use of force against employees of the mass-media took place as well, despite their accreditation. There have been cases of destruction of photo and video equipment. 8 cases of deliberate collisions of cars with the police officers in several cities of the country took place during the protest actions over the past 2 days. The «BelTA» news agency reported that the police called these events «a well-planned action». The agency reported that on Wednesday the coordinators of the riots in Belarus were arrested in Minsk. According to the agency — one of the detainees rented a room in the hotel ‘Belarus’. He supervised the actions of 3 subordinates. Earlier, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry stated that the country is ready for a constructive dialogue with the foreign partners. Belarus can provide solid evidence of the foreign interference in the current situation in the country. «We are ready to present solid facts that reveal the background of the current events, including the interference from abroad» — the statement said.

2 Belarus

The Ministry of Health of Belarus reported that after the riots during the last night, 51 citizens were taken to the hospitals with various injuries. All of them received the necessary medical help. «Most of the injuries were soft tissue bruises, injuries to the limbs, chest, abdomen, and so on.» — the message explained. Several patients required surgery — their condition is stabilized. There were no fatalities. The TASS news agency reported that several hundred white-clad young women with flowers in their hands held a rally in solidarity with the victims of the protests during the previous days.

3 Belarus

The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus stated that 17 criminal cases were open due to the attacks on the policemen. More than 1000 people were detained during the day. 55 journalists were detained in Belarus in a week. 41 of them were detained in the last two days. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus added that in the city of Brest the policemen were forced to open fire on the attacking citizens, armed with steel rods. «The warning shots in the air didn’t stop them. Weapons were used to protect the lives of the policemen. One of the attacking civilian was wounded» — the message concluded. The ‘BelTA’ reported with a reference to the head of the municipal economy and energy department of the Minsk City Executive Committee, Vladimir Lebed, that the city authorities of Minsk estimated the damage from the riots in the city at more than 500 000 of Belarusian rubles.

4 Lebanon

The ‘Al Arabiya’ TV reported that on Tuesday the anti-government protests in Beirut were resumed. The protesters reportedly gathered at the entrance to the blast-devastated Beirut port. They shouted anti-government slogans, demanding the resignation of the Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, and a dissolution of the parliament. Then they launched an assault on the concrete and metal barriers that blocked the passage from the Omari Mosque to the Parliamentary Palace, in ‘Place Etoile’ square. The protesters threw stones and firecrackers at the policemen, who responded with rubber bullets. The police didn’t use tear gas since there were many women and children among the demonstrators. As a result, they penetrated quite far into the city center. They reached the shopping galleries of the ‘Al-Aswak’. The ‘Sky News Arabia’ TV reported that the death toll from the explosion in the port of Beirut reached 171. At least 30 people are still missing.