Belarus detains former presidential candidate

An opposition politician who stood against long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko in the controversial 2020 presidential election has been detained, his team said.
According to a message posted on his Facebook page, Andrei Dmitriev, 41, an activist who leads an anti-Lukashenko social movement was detained in the capital Minsk on Wednesday.
It added, the reason for his custody was not yet known.
There was no comment from authorities in Belarus on the detention.
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, claimed victory in the 2020 vote, which was marred by claims of voter fraud and harsh repression of the opposition by authorities loyal to Lukashenko.
His announcement of victory over leading opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya triggered weeks of mass protests in which hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets urging Lukashenko to step aside.