Police Assault Belarusian Opposition Protesters
March 25, 2006
Police detaining demonstrators in Minsk on March 25 (RFE/RL)
RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported that opposition leader Alyaksandr Kazulin, who was leading the march, was detained.
As police charged the crowd, there were a series of explosions of undetermined origin. A woman who was among the protesters described to RFE/RL's Belarus Service how the police assault started.
"We were attacked by riot police operating under the command of a colonel," she said. "They started beating people with truncheons, six against one. They're beating children."
The clashes erupted after thousands of opposition supporters had peacefully rallied on Yanka Kupala Square to demand that the outcome of the March 19 presidential election be annulled.
Listen to the sounds of the demonstration:
Real Audio
Windows Media
Real Audio
Windows Media