Shocked by violence, Belarusians lose their fear

Seeing police brutality up close has shocked Belarusians, first during the street clashes with protesters and then as accounts spread of cruelty towards those taken to detention centres.

A 25-year-old man died in custody after he was detained on Sunday. His mother said he had been held in a police van for hours.

A street very close to my home in Minsk was at the heart of one of the confrontations between police and protesters this week.

Stun grenades went off and people screamed as riot police struck them with batons. The screams were so loud that they drowned out the sound of the grenades.