Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to protest the riots against peaceful protesters after a presidential election.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
Belarus marched on the capital this week, chanting “Get away” from President Alexander Lukashenko, demanding his resignation after his 26-year rule, which was extended on Sunday.
Protesters have claimed that Sunday’s election was rigged, with polls showing 80 percent in favor of Lukashenko, and just ten percent in favor of opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
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Friday’s crowd drew more than 20,000 protesters to Independence Square in Minsk.
Although soldiers were deployed to protect the nearby government headquarters, about a dozen guards removed their riot shields, which apparently encouraged women to come forward and embrace them in sign of solidarity.
Lukashenko has claimed that the Protestants are puppets of foreign governments, trying to disrupt peace in Belarus.
“Do you want me to sit and wait until she turns Minsk around?” he said. “We will not be able to stabilize the situation after that. We need to take a break, gather ourselves and calm down. And let us restore order and deal with those who have come here. “
‘Do not take to the streets. “You should understand that you and your children are being used as cannon fodder,” Lukashenko said.
Tikjavovskaya, who fled to Lithuania after the elections, appeared again on social media on Friday, applauding the protests.
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“I admire Belarusians. Thank you, my dear!” She wrote, NPR reported Friday. ‘We did the impossible. We showed that we are the majority, and that this country belongs to us, the people of Belarus, and not one person. “
Lukashenko has told city soldiers to use force to stop the protests. “If a person falls and lies still, do not hit him,” Lukashenko said this week.
But the newly re-elected president has also drawn more condemnation from Protestants who are angry at his dismissal of the demonstrations, accusing foreign opponents than the provocateurs.
‘Nobody believes these horror stories about external forces. We are tired of constant enemies and collusion, “said Galina Erema, a demonstrator to the Associated Press. “He used force and is not gone for 26 years. This is the reason for the protests. ”
The release of some 2,000 of the 7,000 people detained appears to be another attempt by the Interior Ministry to reduce tensions in Minsk.
But many of those released were visibly beaten, while others spoke of the abuse they perpetrated at the hands of Belarus police.
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The brutal arrests combined by what many believe was a rigged election have attracted the attention of the international community.
“Work begins with sanctioning those responsible for violence and counterfeiting,” European Union top foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
