A total of 46 people were detained during a rally in Minsk in support of Maria Kolesnikova, a senior member of the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council.

“On the evening of September 8, participants of a rally in support of Maria Kolesnikova were detained in Minsk, near the Komarovsky Market and Masherov Avenue. More than 40 people are known to have been detained”, - the Vesna human rights center said. They also published on its website a list of detained persons, which has 46 names.

The Minsk police press service confirmed that detentions had been made, but did not say exactly how many persons were apprehended. Police also said the rally was not authorized by the city authorities.