Police In Grodno Use Tear Gas Against 'Violent' Demonstrators - Local Law Enforcement

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2020) Police in the western Belarusian city of Grodno have used tear gas against protesters who were engaging in violent and aggressive behavior, a spokesperson of the local police department told Sputnik.

"In certain cases special means were used on participants in unsanctioned mass events on Sunday, including tear gas," the spokesperson said, specifying that the protesters in question were acting violently and aggressively.

According to the spokesperson, criminal investigations have been opened into the Grodno protesters' violent behavior.

On Sunday, a Gomel police department spokesperson told Sputnik that law enforcement officers in the southern Belarusian city had used tear gas against protesters.

On Sunday, yet another wave of anti-government rallies was held across Belarus, the largest one in the capital of Minsk.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told Sputnik that nearly 200 people were detained across Belarus during the Sunday protests.

Weekend opposition rallies have been held regularly across Belarus following the disputed August 9 presidential election, in which longtime President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a sixth term. According to official results, Lukashenko won 80.1 percent of the votes. This past Wednesday, Lukashenko held a clandestine inauguration ceremony, which reignited opposition protests in the country.