All protesters detained in Minsk amid Belarus post-election chaos to be released by Friday morning – police chief

Belarusian deputy police chief Aleksandr Barsukov has vowed that all of those who were taken into temporary custody amid unrest that has gripped Minsk since Sunday's presidential election will be released by 6am local time on Friday.

The official made the announcement as he was visiting a temporary detention facility in one of the capital’s boroughs, amid allegations that officers were brutalizing detainees there. Barsukov has rejected the claim.

Cities across Belarus have been swept by a wave of protests, occasionally escalating into violence and scuffles between demonstrators and law enforcement, after exit polls showed incumbent President Aleksander Lukashenko winning about 80 percent of the vote in Sunday's election. His critics, who rallied behind united opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, have insisted that the government rigged the tally, demanding Lukashenko's resignation. Around 6,000 people in total have been arrested across Belarus