Belarus police detain dozens of protesters

Belarus police detain dozens of protesters

2011-06-30 07:35:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

MINSK, BELARUS (BNO NEWS) -- Belarusian police on Wednesday detained several dozen people at a weekly protest against the Belarusian government's economic policies in the capital, Minsk.

RIA Novosti reported that as many as several hundred protesters gathered near Oktyabrskaya Square in the center of Minsk to participate in the rally organized by the Revolution through Social Networks online campaign. Prominent Belarusian human rights activist Valentin Stefanovich said that at least 120 people were detained in the capital, including a radio journalist from Latvia and a citizen of Estonia.

Last week, a similar protest took place in Minsk where police detained about 200 people, including journalists. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had warned that no strikes or unauthorized protests would be allowed over the recently-imposed export ban on fuel and other goods.

"The so-called 'willful people' in Minsk use social networks and the Internet to encourage strikes," said Lukashenko. "I'll be keeping an eye on them and then will give them such a punch that they won't have time to flee across the border."

On June 13, Belarus and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began discussions for agreeing in a new program in order to achieve financial stability in the country. Belarus is seeking an IMF loan that could be granted depending on the balance of payments and other factors.

Belarus' financial crisis worsened last May when the National Bank of Belarus (NBRB) set the official exchange rate of the Belarusian Ruble against the U.S. dollar at Br 4,930 per $1, a devaluation of over 50 percent.

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