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Some 450 arrested during protests across Belarus

A total of some 450 people were arrested during "silent" anti-government protests staged in dozens of Belarusian cities on June 22, human rights defenders said.

As rights activist Valyantsin Stefanovich told BelaPAN, most of those arrested were released without charges later that day. The rest were charged with disorderly conduct and were to stand trial.

The exact number of those charged over the protest was not immediately known. Human rights defenders continued gathering information on June 23.

Mr. Stefanovich said that one of those arrested was an officer of the Swedish embassy in Minsk. When reached by BelaPAN, the diplomatic mission declined to comment on the report.

The police would not comment on Wednesday's events.

Inspired by an online campaign called "Revolution through Social Networks," the protests were staged in Minsk and all of the five regional capitals and dozens of other cities, even small ones, such as Nyasvizh, Staryya Darohi, Bykhaw, Hlybokaye and Hantsavichy. Arrests were said to have been made in Minsk, Barysaw, Maladzyechna, Vileyka, Vitsyebsk, Zhodzina, Slutsk, Brest, Hrodna, Mazyr, Vawkavysk, Salihorsk and Kalinkavichy.