31 Aug

More than 100 protesters in Belarus have been detained by security authorities during a massive rally against President Alexander Lukashenko.

Demonstrators took to the streets across the country on Sunday. It was the latest in a series of protests in the past three weeks following the August 9 presidential election.

Lukashenko won reelection in the vote, but his opponents say the election was rigged.

An estimated 100,000 protesters gathered in the capital Minsk on Sunday, which was Lukashenko's 66th birthday. They marched through the streets, chanting that celebrations for his birthday will come only after he steps down.

Security authorities said it is an unauthorized protest and started removing demonstrators.

Belarus's internal affairs ministry says 125 people have been detained so far.

The country's presidential office announced on Sunday that Lukashenko talked over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and they will hold a summit in Moscow in the coming weeks.

Putin calls for a peaceful solution through dialogue to the post-election turmoil in Belarus. 

But in an interview with the state-run broadcaster on Saturday, he endorsed the result of the presidential election as a show of support for the Lukashenko administration.

Opponents of the administration are becoming increasingly distrustful of Russia.

nhk