Hundreds arrested in Belarus as opposition claims senior figure was kidnapped

Disputed election has sparked demonstrations that have seen tens of thousands take the streets of the ex-Soviet country of 9.5 million

Police have intensified a campaign to quash the demonstrations, with troops, water cannon and armoured vehicles deployed in the capital

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Belarusians attend a protest rally against the results of the presidential elections. Photo: EPA

Published: 9:55pm, 7 Sep 2020Updated: 9:59pm, 7 Sep 2020

Belarus on Monday said police had detained more than 600 people at weekend protests and the opposition said a senior figure had been snatched off the streets, as authorities intensified efforts to end weeks of demonstrations.

The opposition’s Coordination Council said one of its high-profile members Maria Kolesnikova had been “kidnapped by unknown people in central Minsk” along with a spokesman and executive secretary.

“Their whereabouts are unknown,” it said, accusing President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of “openly using methods of terror”.

Lukashenko’s main rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said the abductions were an attempt to disrupt the work of the Coordination Council.

It was set up to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after opposition candidate Tikhanovskaya rejected Lukashenko’s claim to have won an August 9 presidential election with 80 per cent of the vote.

“The more they try to scare us, the more people will take to the streets,” Tikhanovskaya said in a statement.

The Coordination Council demanded the detainees’ immediate release and the free return of other activists who have left the country under official pressure.