Over 1,000 people detained in Belarus at protests: Human rights centre

More than 1,000 people were detained during Sunday unauthorized anti-government protests held across Belarus, the non-governmental human rights center Viasna reported.

According to the latest update on the center's website, 1,039 people were detained on Sunday, with a vast majority of the detentions having taken place in the capital city of Minsk. This is the largest number of detentions reported by Viasna from a single day of weekend rallies in Belarus since the initial days of post-election opposition protests in August.

Earlier, city police spokesperson Natalia Ganusevich told Sputnik that around 10 detentions were made during unauthorized protests held in Minsk on Sunday. Viasna initially estimated that more than 70 people were detained at Sunday protests held across Belarus.

Opposition rallies have been held every weekend in Belarus since the disputed August 9 election, which saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko claim a sixth term. The opposition declared that the results were fabricated and that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had won the vote.