Riot police in Belarus launched a massive crackdown Saturday on protesters trying to hold a banned march in Minsk. Hundreds were reported arrested, and a human rights leader said many of the detainees had been beaten by police and needed medical attention.
An estimated 700 people were trying to march through a central part of the capital, part of a wave of anti-government protests against a new tax on workers. Truckloads of police intercepted the protesters and attacked them with clubs.
Witnesses said unarmed civilians also were assaulted, and a Reuters reporter said at least 10 journalists were arrested.
Earlier Saturday, officials from …read more
Source: Voice of America
