100,000 march in Belarus capital on 50th day of protests

Demonstrators, one of them wearing an old Belarusian nation flag and holding a cardboard sword reading ‘solidarity’, march during an opposition rally (TUT.by/AP)

About 100,000 demonstrators marched in the Belarusian capital on Sunday calling for the authoritarian president’s removal as the protests that have rocked the country marked their 50th consecutive day.

Protests also took place in nine other cities, underlining the wide extent of dismay and anger with President Alexander Lukashenko, who has stifled opposition and independent news media during his 26 years in power.