BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
25/03/2011
Police prevent opposition rally in Belarus
MINSK, Belarus—Police in authoritarian Belarus have attacked hundreds of opposition activists who tried to hold an anti-government rally.
Dozens of the demonstrators were beaten Friday, and the rights group Vyasna says at least 50 were detained.
March 25 has long been a traditional day of opposition rallies marking the anniversary of Belarus' short-lived declaration of independence from Russia in 1918. But the government of longtime President Alexander Lukashenko bans the rallies.
Police cordoned off an avenue and square in central Minsk, blaming an alleged bomb threat.
But Belarusian authorities have intensified their crackdown on the opposition since protests in December that followed a presidential election Lukashenko was declared the winner of.
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