<p>Protesters in Belarus weathered icy conditions Sunday, hitting the streets to demand the resignation of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko who is facing down months of historic protests against his rule.</p>.<p>The Viasna rights group said dozens of people were detained in Minsk as authorities deployed water cannon and large numbers of law enforcement blocked off areas of the city centre.</p>.<p>Demonstrators waving the opposition's red and white flag marched on the outskirts of the capital to thwart a large-scale police crackdown.</p>.<p>The opposition-leaning news site Nasha Niva said protesters had organised at least 100 separate gatherings in Minsk and its suburbs.</p>.<p>An AFP correspondent said that unlike previous weekend protests that spurred tens of thousands into the city centre, metro stations were open Sunday and mobile internet was working without interruptions.</p>.<p>Ex-Soviet Belarus has been gripped by historic anti-government demonstrations that erupted after August presidential elections in which Lukashenko claimed a sixth term in office.</p>.<p>His opponents claim the polls were rigged and that political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran in place of her jailed husband was the true winner.</p>.<p>Tikhanovskaya, who is in exile in neighbouring Lithuania, hailed protesters who had gathered "despite repressions, violence and cold.</p>.<p>"They resist Lukashenko's regime because the people of Belarus want to live in a democratic and free country," she wrote on Twitter.</p>.<p>The European Union imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and his allies citing election rigging and a violent police crackdown on protesters.</p>.<p>On Thursday, Belarus said it will temporarily close its land border in late December to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a move seen by the opposition as a further clampdown on dissent.</p>
<p>Protesters in Belarus weathered icy conditions Sunday, hitting the streets to demand the resignation of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko who is facing down months of historic protests against his rule.</p>.<p>The Viasna rights group said dozens of people were detained in Minsk as authorities deployed water cannon and large numbers of law enforcement blocked off areas of the city centre.</p>.<p>Demonstrators waving the opposition's red and white flag marched on the outskirts of the capital to thwart a large-scale police crackdown.</p>.<p>The opposition-leaning news site Nasha Niva said protesters had organised at least 100 separate gatherings in Minsk and its suburbs.</p>.<p>An AFP correspondent said that unlike previous weekend protests that spurred tens of thousands into the city centre, metro stations were open Sunday and mobile internet was working without interruptions.</p>.<p>Ex-Soviet Belarus has been gripped by historic anti-government demonstrations that erupted after August presidential elections in which Lukashenko claimed a sixth term in office.</p>.<p>His opponents claim the polls were rigged and that political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran in place of her jailed husband was the true winner.</p>.<p>Tikhanovskaya, who is in exile in neighbouring Lithuania, hailed protesters who had gathered "despite repressions, violence and cold.</p>.<p>"They resist Lukashenko's regime because the people of Belarus want to live in a democratic and free country," she wrote on Twitter.</p>.<p>The European Union imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and his allies citing election rigging and a violent police crackdown on protesters.</p>.<p>On Thursday, Belarus said it will temporarily close its land border in late December to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a move seen by the opposition as a further clampdown on dissent.</p>