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Belarus cracks down on protests

Belarus has cracked down on protesters during nationwide demonstrations against the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Rights groups claim that about 300 people have been arrested in the countrywide protest which was held on the country’s Independence Day, adding that AFP reported on Monday.

Plainclothes police clashed with protesters and journalists in the capital Minsk, and arrested about 200 people, the Vyasna rights group announced.

“The authorities must immediately free all those detained and ensure freedom of assembly for citizens and stop the shameful practice of beating and detaining the participants in rallies,” Vyasna said.

Teargas was also fired to disperse the crowd, who were trying to disrupt Lukashenko’s Independence Day speech by clapping their hands.

In his speech, Lukashenko warned his opponents against dreaming about the revolutions that have swept other ex-Soviet states over the past years.

Earlier in June, Belarus detained About 450 people who took to the streets in downtown Minsk to protest against Lukashenko’s economic policies and his management of the country’s financial crisis.

Last year, the government launched a crackdown on protest rallies against alleged vote-rigging in general elections. The Government has arrested dozens of opposition figures ever since.

Belarus has been struggling for months to pull out of a currency crisis. The severe devaluation of the national currency in the first five months of the year has spurred strong demand for foreign currency.

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