Belarus: Protesters leak police force data | DW News

Tens of thousands of protesters, once again, took to the streets in Belarusian capital city Minsk on Sunday, demanding an end to President Alexander Lukashenko's rule.

Hundreds of police and army were out in force to try and stop the so-called March of Justice going ahead. Late in the day, uniformed men in balaclavas began arresting demonstrators and more than 100 people were detained, according to rights group Viasna. It said at least 80 were arrested in the capital Minsk, with at least 47 people held elsewhere in the country. Authorities had closed metro stations in Minsk and mobile internet services were down in an attempt to stop the demonstrators.

In response to the latest escalation of violence, an online messaging channel with more than two million subscribers published a list of names, birthdays and addresses of more than 1000 police officers.

Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is holding talks with EU foreign ministers in Brussels - as the EU prepares sanctions against the Belarusian government. The bloc has a list of around 40 Belarusian officials who it blames for abuses of power against ongoing anti-government protests, as well as electoral fraud in last month's disputed elections. But the sanctions have so far been held up by Cyprus - which is demanding the EU take measures against Turkey in a separate dispute. Earlier German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for the bloc to discuss imposing sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko himself.

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