Police in Belarus beat demonstrators with batons and rounded up opposition leaders in a violent crackdown after an election on December 19 that returned incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka for a fourth term with 80 percent of the vote.
Belarus: Scenes Of The Crackdown
![Thousands of opponents of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka rallied in the center of Minsk to protest the election, which they say was rigged.](https://gdb.rferl.org/093d53c1-c80f-4048-bd3f-9ee7f316c2ae_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Thousands of opponents of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka rallied in the center of Minsk to protest the election, which they say was rigged.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/f2431b84-d8a7-4fa0-8eca-9acf8a4ce732_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![A man from among the group of protesters smashes a glass door of the parliament building during a rally denouncing the results of the presidential election.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9ef27e1b-3030-4446-bedf-018bd8901146_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A man from among the group of protesters smashes a glass door of the parliament building during a rally denouncing the results of the presidential election.
![An opposition supporter appeals to riot police for sympathy.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9e56a9b7-7986-41de-ab9b-adb4abb17b90_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An opposition supporter appeals to riot police for sympathy.
![Police in Belarus beat demonstrators with batons and rounded up opposition leaders.](https://gdb.rferl.org/d002757f-1c9f-4334-8779-2ccc358f3b92_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Police in Belarus beat demonstrators with batons and rounded up opposition leaders.
![Riot police chase an opposition protester.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a4f4649b-4d1b-4680-a0cf-6addc1eb2597_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Riot police chase an opposition protester.
![Presidential candidate Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu lies on a street after he was beaten during the rally in Minsk.](https://gdb.rferl.org/c7f0bd45-2e57-46b5-ba96-f5cb4386b0d7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Presidential candidate Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu lies on a street after he was beaten during the rally in Minsk.
![Supporters carry the injured Neklyayev to his campaign headquarters.](https://gdb.rferl.org/bf11564f-977f-48b9-b96e-b305fd679a03_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Supporters carry the injured Neklyayev to his campaign headquarters.
![Opposition candidate Andrey Sannikau lies on a street after being beaten during a clash between protesters and police.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01070d51-8e1f-4f89-b550-8a649b3bdc38_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Opposition candidate Andrey Sannikau lies on a street after being beaten during a clash between protesters and police.
![A supporter of presidential candidate Uladzimir Neklyayev is seen at his campaign headquarters after he was beaten.](https://gdb.rferl.org/6f77d79f-35fb-4219-ba13-9249aa0b996f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A supporter of presidential candidate Uladzimir Neklyayev is seen at his campaign headquarters after he was beaten.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/1b886779-906b-4554-9c26-bc3e44238a73_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![](https://gdb.rferl.org/23ce3eec-3aad-4cb2-9120-8db45e337e2a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![](https://gdb.rferl.org/0dcaf3c8-f1f1-46a5-8b92-308302b567b3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![](https://gdb.rferl.org/03c46758-cde1-4bca-a2c9-0b1dd581f5bc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![](https://gdb.rferl.org/223f88d1-898d-47ad-9306-b40be58d7d04_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![Members of the Election Commission count ballots late on December 19 in Minsk. The incumbent, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, won in the first round with almost 80 percent of the vote.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f6906896-754c-47c7-bcec-f2e5673b55bf_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Members of the Election Commission count ballots late on December 19 in Minsk. The incumbent, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, won in the first round with almost 80 percent of the vote.
![An opposition supporter flashes a victory sign from a police bus near a detention center in Minsk.](https://gdb.rferl.org/c8974764-2e65-4331-8a3c-d1236ac3d3b9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An opposition supporter flashes a victory sign from a police bus near a detention center in Minsk.
![A woman cries outside a prison in Minsk where hundreds of antigovernment protesters are being held.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9b893355-89a6-40fa-8198-2ef1df693b00_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman cries outside a prison in Minsk where hundreds of antigovernment protesters are being held.