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Dozens rally in Minsk to mark year since vote protest crackdown

19 December 2011 21:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Dozens of people gathered on Monday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk to mark the one-year anniversary of a crackdown on the opposition that followed protests against the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko APA reports quoting Ria Novosti.

The unsanctioned rally was held on Independence Square in central Minsk. People lit candles and held up photos of people who were jailed after the protests.

Plainclothes police were seen making a number of arrests, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

Hundreds of people were detained during large-scale protests that broke out in Minsk last December following presidential elections, which saw President Alexander Lukashenko win a landslide victory, with almost 80 percent of the vote.

The opposition says the polls were rigged. The elections were also criticized by international observers.