Belarusian Rights Group Says Police Detain Protesters After Opposition Barred From Vote

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) Demonstrators have been detained across Belarus during sporadic protests against the refusal of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to register two candidates for the upcoming presidential election, the Viasna human rights center, that has not been registered by the country's authorities, said on Tuesday.

The CEC registered five candidates for the August 9 elections in Belarus during a Tuesday session, while two presidential nominees � Valery Tsapkala, the ex-ambassador to the United States and former head of the Belarus Hi-Tech Park, and Viktar Babaryka, the former head of the Belgazprombank � were removed from elections. Tsapkala's candidacy was denied as he reportedly failed to submit the necessary 100,000 valid signatures to support his nomination, while Babariko was rejected over alleged flaws in his property and income declaration.

"On the evening of July 14, people took to the streets of different cities in protest against the refusal to register alternative candidates Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala as presidential candidates. Arrests started at around 20:00 local time [17:00 GMT]," Viasna said in a statement.

According to the group, police detained people, including reporters, in Minsk, Gomel, Brest and other cities.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Belarusian Interior Ministry warned citizens against participating in unauthorized mass gatherings.

The presidential campaign in Belarus has been accompanied by the arrests of those supporting the candidates running against current President Alexander Lukashenko. The interior ministry says that most have been arrested for violating laws on holding public events, as well as undermining public order.