Mass protest eclipses defiant Belarus leader's rally

Tens of thousands of opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have gathered in Minsk to protest against disputed elections, reported British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The "March for Freedom" in the centre of the capital comes amid growing anger over alleged poll-rigging and police violence at subsequent protests, said the BBC report.

Meanwhile, in an address to a smaller crowd of several thousand, Lukashenko blasted opponents as "rats".

He called on supporters to defend their country and independence, the report added.

Earlier, the Finnish President and Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy on Friday observed that the presidential elections held in Belarus on 9 August were neither free nor fair.

The foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries on August 11 expressed concern over the developments that are taking place in Belarus.

The foreign ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden in a joint statement expressed their grave concern at the violence used against post-election demonstrations that have occurred in response to reports of widespread electoral fraud.

Click BBC to read the detail original report.