One killed, dozens injured in Belarus clashes after election

At least one person was killed after being knocked over by a police prisoner van and dozens were injured in clashes between police and protesters after the Belarus presidential election, a representative of the rights group Spring 96 said on Monday.

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"There are at least 120 detainees, but this is initial data," Valentin Stefanovic also told Reuters.

Thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday in protest after strongman President Alexander Lukashenko looked set to win a sixth term in an election which his opponents say was rigged in his favour.

A wounded man receives assistance during clashes with opposition supporters after polls closed in Minsk. Reuters

Police in Belarus broke up crowds of protesters with stun grenades and rubber bullets as long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko looked set to declare an overwhelming victory in a presidential poll his opponents say was rigged.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital Minsk and other cities after a state exit poll showed Lukashenko winning just under 80 percent in Sunday's election, with main challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya coming second with about seven percent.

Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old stay-at-home mother and political novice, galvanised the opposition during the election campaign, attracting tens of thousands of supporters to the ex-Soviet country's biggest demonstrations in years.

In the capital Minsk protesters gathered near a central monument, where they formed human chains as they faced off against hundreds of riot police with shields, an AFP journalist and witnesses said.