On Saturday March 25th in Minsk a new wave of protests broke out and finished with a brutal clash with the police.
The arrest of 460 people in the
By the beginning of the action, the city centre was filled with dozens of armored special forces lorries, and riot squads (OMON) buses. Rows of the police moved quickly across the streets. The police divided streets into sectors, surrounding passers-by and not giving them an opportunity to move. People were squeezed against walls in danger of being crushed. The first detentions of individuals took place.
Nevertheless, a significant number of protestors managed to regroup in a nearby square and hold a meeting against police terror, elections fraud and for solidarity with the people arrested.
After the meeting a part of the group of protestors began to move towards the prison where the arrested people were being held (on Okrestina Street - Окрестина). The idea of rally was to provide support for those arrested and to ask to be able to give food and clothes to them. Some hours earlier, the prison guards had been strengthened, and snipers had been placed on roofs.
A few kilometres further, in a narrow deserted place, the path of the peace demonstration was