Belarusian Orthodox Church head calls for peace in country amid protests

The head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Minsk Metropolitan Bishop Pavel, on Friday urged for "everything possible" to be done to return peace to the country.

 The head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Minsk Metropolitan Bishop Pavel, on Friday urged for "everything possible" to be done to return peace to the country. "Let us do everything possible so that blessed Belarus would be peaceful again. I am urging everyone to show restraint and wisdom," the bishop said, as quoted by the Belta news agency.

Belarus saw a wave of protests after a presidential election was held on Sunday. According to the Central Election Commission, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected with 80.08 percent of the vote. The unauthorized rallies have been curbed by law enforcement using tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. About 6,000 people were detained, the official figures show.

According to the Interior Ministry, hundreds of people were injured, including 103 law enforcement officers. One protester died when he tried to throw an improvised explosive device at the police. 

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