Riot police cleared a protest camp from that square early Friday morning, ending a four-day protest. Some 200 protesters were taken away in trucks to a pre-detention center.
The United States and European Union denounced the police action and both announced plans to impose new restrictions on Belarus, including a travel ban.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, described the police action as "restrained." He also accused the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe -- which described the election as flawed -- of playing an inflammatory role in Belarus.
(with additional material from Reuters)
Election Day In Images
Click on the image to view a photo gallery of election-day events in Belarus.
THE BELARUS ELECTION: To view a complete archive of RFE/RL's coverage of the March 19 presidential election, click here.
To read and listen to RFE/RL's Belarus Service's coverage of the vote in Belarusian, click here.
