DW journalist detained during Belarus protests

DW correspondent Nicholas Connolly was arrested on Saturday — for the second time in a week — while filming anti-government protests in Minsk.

"I'm fine. I ended up losing five hours of my day. Compared to the local Belarusian journalists, I'm in a very privileged position having my media company behind me, having the German Embassy on my side," Connolly told DW after he was released.

Connolly, a German citizen who has press accreditation in Belarus, was held for around five hours at a police station before being released.

DW had appealed to Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian ambassador in Berlin, Denis Sidorenko, to immediately release Connolly. The ambassador later informed DW that the journalist could be picked up at the police station by an employee of the German Embassy in Minsk, without offering further explanation.

"It is scandalous that such methods are used to hinder the work of accredited journalists in Belarus," DW Director General Peter Limbourg said. " But we will not let it intimidate us in our efforts to deliver independent information to the people of Belarus."

Limbourg also thanked the German ambassador in Minsk for his "strong support."

Connolly, who covers Central and Eastern Europe for DW, said Belarusian authorities did not tell him what he was accused of during his arrest. He said authorities were trying to "criminalize journalism."

"Belarusian journalists are exposed to a much greater risk than reporters from the international media," he added.

Scores arrested in Saturday's protests

Police detained at least 245 people during demonstrations on Saturday against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, human rights group Viasna said. Those detained included several journalists.

The protests were organized by the pro-opposition Telegram channel Nexta, who had called for large rallies.

But the activists had mostly gathered in smaller groups on the streets. 

The Belarusian government has warned that protesters could face criminal charges.

Authorities said they had opened up a criminal case against authors of a Telegram post that urged people to return to the streets. 

Anti-Lukashenko protesters angered by August election

Belarus has been rocked by mass protests since the presidential election in August, which gave Lukashenko another term in office.

Critics and Western countries accuse Lukashenko of rigging the vote against his opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Lukashenko has served as president since 1994, and has been criticized by human rights observers for clamping down on civil liberties in the country.

Anti-Lukashenko demonstrations were also held on Thursday, coinciding with the anniversary of the country's declaration of its short-lived independence from Russia in 1918. This unofficial holiday, known as Freedom Day, is celebrated by the opposition but called a "dismal page in our history" by Lukashenko.

wd/mm (Reuters, AP)