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Minsk (dpa) - Thousands of people in Belarus protested peacefully against President Alexander Lukashenko, who is clinging to his office.
At the Sunday demonstration, security forces were once again brutal in some cases.
Videos in the news channel Telegram showed masked uniformed men beating people on the ground.
There were many arrests.
The Wesna Human Rights Center initially listed the names of more than 120 people arrested.
Last Sunday there were around 300, the week before around 1000.
The biggest actions took place in the capital Minsk.
There, demonstrators first gathered in their residential areas and then formed larger protest marches.
Many wore the historic white, red and white flags when it snowed.
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Videos could be seen how security forces followed protesters into the courtyards of residential complexes.
Again and again people were dragged into minibuses.
The media also reported on the use of tear gas and stun grenades.
People in other cities also called for Lukashenko's resignation.
As on the previous Sundays, hundreds of uniformed men from the Ministry of the Interior and the army were out and about in Minsk.
Videos showed prisoner trucks, water cannons and other heavy equipment on the streets of the capital.
Security forces cordoned off large spaces with metal bars.
In addition, six metro stations in Minsk were blocked.
The mobile internet was also largely switched off.
The authorities wanted to make it more difficult to meet at meetings.
There were also reports that some neighborhoods were without electricity.
This time, the opposition had officially announced the action as the “Neighbors' March”.
It was the 16th Sunday of protest in a row.
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Belarus has been in a serious domestic political crisis since the presidential election on August 9th.
The 66-year-old Lukashenko had been declared the winner with 80.1 percent of the votes.
The EU no longer recognizes him as president.
The opposition sees civil rights activist Svetlana Tichanovskaya as the real winner.
The civil rights activist, who fled to the EU country Lithuania, said in advance in a video message that the people in Belarus had “walked a difficult path together”.
They saw terrible violence and inhumanity and, in contrast to the "regime", remained themselves.
The imprisoned opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova told the news magazine “Der Spiegel” through her lawyer that she was concerned about the welfare of the people in Belarus.
"No desire to stay in power can justify such unprecedented levels of violence."
Peaceful citizens were beaten, tortured, injured and killed because of their views, said the 38-year-old, who lived in Stuttgart for a long time.
"We live in a police state."
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The democracy movement has been calling for Lukashenko's resignation for weeks, an end to police violence against peaceful demonstrators, the release of all political prisoners and new elections.
The long-term president made it clear several times that he did not want to give up his power for the time being.
However, he promised a new constitution.
He didn't say a time for it.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201129-99-506893 / 2