AKIPRESS.COM - Opposition supporters in Belarus have held a mass protest in the capital Minsk, two weeks after a disputed election gave President Alexander Lukashenko another term in office, BBC reported.

Tens of thousands of people poured into Independence Square on Sunday, August 23. Many were carrying the opposition's red and white flags, and chanted “freedom” and anti-government slogans.

Pro-opposition media say 100,000 people took part. State television put the crowd at 20,000.

After gathering in the square, some demonstrators moved towards the “Hero City” war memorial and the presidential palace. They were blocked by a security cordon before dispersing.

The protesters say Alexander Lukashenko stole the election and want him to resign.

The president has vowed to crush unrest and blamed the dissent on unnamed “foreign-backed revolutionaries”.

State television released a video showing Lukashenko arriving at the presidential palace by helicopter, wearing a flak jacket and carrying an automatic weapon.

Recent protests were met with a crackdown in which at least four people were killed. Demonstrators said they had been tortured in prisons.

According to official results, Lukashenko – who has ruled Belarus for 26 years – won more than 80% of the vote in the 9 August election and opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya – 10%.

There were no independent observers and the opposition alleges massive vote rigging.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was forced to flee to neighboring Lithuania the day after the election, vowed to “stand till the end” in the protests.

Similar demonstrations were held in other Belarusian cities. Meanwhile in Lithuania, thousands of people – including President Gitanas Nausėda – formed a human chain from the capital Vilnius to the Belarusian border in solidarity with those protesting in Minsk.

This weekend's rally in Minsk follows the country's biggest protest in modern history last Sunday, when hundreds of thousands filled the streets. Strike action in key factories across Belarus is also keeping up the pressure on the president.