Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched through Minsk on Sunday (August 30), calling for an end to strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s rule amid a heavy security presence and despite dozens of arrests.

Belarus protests have entered the third week since the disputed presidential election on August 9 in which Lukashenko claimed victory.

Opposition rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she was the true winner.

An AFP journalist and local media estimated that more than 100,000 people attended Sunday’s protest, equalling the scale of rallies on previous weekends, the largest in the country since independence from the former USSR.

A crowd gathered outside Lukashenko’s official residence, the Palace of Independence, which was guarded by riot police and special forces personnel backed up by rooftop snipers.