TBILISI, March 22 (RIA Novosti) - Three Georgian nationals detained in Belarus for taking part in opposition protests against alleged election fraud have been deported, Georgian television reported Wednesday.
Rustavi 2 said clergymen Malkhaz Songulashvili and Basily Kobakhidze and religious-studies scholar Lado Gogiashvili, arrested in the Belarusian capital Monday after joining a rally in support of Belarusian opposition attempts to dispute Sunday's election results, have now been expelled from the country and banned from reentry in the next five years.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry and parliament sent official demands for the men's immediate release after they were arrested.
Belarusian opposition supporters took to the streets Monday to protest the results of the weekend's presidential polls, and have continued their rally into Wednesday. They are calling for a revote, saying Sunday's election was rigged in favor of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko.
According to the official tally, Lukashenko, dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by Washington, won a third term with 82.6% of the vote. The main opposition candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, garnered just 6%.
