Police in Belarus on Monday detained several leading opposition activists who have helped spearhead a wave of protests challenging the reelection of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in balloting that his critics say was rigged.
The Coordination Council, which was established by the opposition to negotiate a transfer of power, said its members Sergei Dylevsky and Olga Kovalkova were detained in the capital of Minsk.
Later in the day, the opposition also reported the detention of Alexander Lavrinovich, the leader of striking workers at a major industrial plant.