BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/04/2006

Belarus opposition leader held

The main opposition leader in Belarus, Alexander Milinkevich, has been arrested, his spokesman has said.

Pavel Mazheika said Mr Milinkevich had been detained and driven to a police station in the capital, Minsk.

The arrest comes a day after 5,000 protesters rallied in Minsk to mark the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine.

Mr Milinkevich was also briefly detained on Wednesday and told not to attend the event.

Police detained at least three other prominent opposition figures after the demonstration, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The Chernobyl anniversary has become a traditional forum for anti-government protesters.

Many Belarussians continue to demand answers about the effects of the disaster and to oppose their government's move to repopulate contaminated land.

This year's anniversary comes a month after elections which brought President Lukashenko a third term and widespread condemnation from the international community. Observers said the polls were neither free nor fair.

Ahead of Wednesday's demonstration, Mr Milinkevich had repeatedly asked his supporters to avoid any confrontation with the security services.

He told the BBC the opposition wanted the march to be peaceful.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4950058.stm

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