Belarus police arrest protesters at banned demonstration

‘Police in the capital of Belarus have begun wide-scale arrests of protesters who had gathered for a forbidden demonstration that they hoped would build on a rising wave of defiance of the former Soviet republic’s authoritarian government.
About 700 people had tried to march along Minsk’s main avenue, but were blocked by a cordon of riot police wielding clubs and holding shields. After a standoff, arrests began.
“They’re beating the participants, dragging women by the hair to buses. I was able to run to a nearby courtyard,” demonstrator Alexander Ponomarev said.
There were no immediate figures on how many people were taken into custody.’
Read more: Belarus police arrest protesters at banned demonstration