Belarus' Lukashenko set to visit Russia due to protests continue in capital

Belarusian authorities detained scores of demonstrators Friday while wanting to end greater than a month of protests against the country's authoritarian president, who is set to visit Russia to help shore up his hold on power after 26 years in office.

Protesters in Belarus experience spent per month denouncing the outcomes of the country's Aug. 9 presidential election as rigged and challenging the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko from the 6th term he earned. Facing criticism from the West, Lukashenko spent some time working to cement ties along with his primary ally and sponsor, Russia.

He's set to head to Russia on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin found in the Black Sea holiday resort of Sochi. Some expect Belarusian authorities to have tougher actions against protesters ahead of the meeting.

At least nine protesters were detained Friday outside a court in Belarus's capital, Minsk, because they rallied in solidarity with professional workers defending their to launch a hit. Police detained extra protesters in the cities of Vitebsk, Gomel and Baranovichi, according to the Viasna human rights centre in Minsk.

“The threats and detentions arrive before the protests set for the weekend,” the top of the guts, Ales Bialitski, said.

“Lukashenko would very much like to show the Kremlin that the protests are abating and he handles the situation, but up to now repressions possess had the contrary effect.”

The post-election protests have attracted the largest crowds on Sundays, when up to 200,000 people have flooded the streets of the administrative centre. Another protest is defined for this Sunday.

After a brutal crackdown on relaxing demonstrators in the original days following the vote drew international outrage and swelled the opposition ranks, Belarusian authorities have sought to squelch the dissent by targeting top activists.

Prosecutors have launched a criminal probe against best members of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to force for a fresh election, accusing them of undermining national security.

Each of the council's senior customers aside from Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich have been either jailed or forcibly expelled from the united states. Unidentified people attempted Wednesday to enter Alexievich's apartment in Minsk, and diplomats from countless European Union nations gathered there to prevent her detention and once again on Thursday evening.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted Friday that he previously a contact with Alexievich and “expressed Latvia's total support to the Belarusian society on the shoot for political rights and freedoms.”

A leading member of the opposition council, Maria Kolesnikova, remained in jail after resisting her forcible expulsion from Belarus on Tuesday. She alleged that officers of the country's state security agency abducted her and threatened to kill her and pushed for a criminal probe into their actions.

UN Secretary-Standard Antonio Guterres called on Belarus'authorities “to avoid the utilization of force against those participating in peaceful assembly and also to ensure that allegations of torture and different mistreatment of people found in detention are fully investigated and addressed,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday.

AMERICA and europe have criticized Belarus' election as neither free nor fair and urged Lukashenko to engage in talks with the opposition, which he has rejected.

US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said the U.S., in coordination with the EU, will be announcing sanctions on Belarusian officials and perhaps corporations in “a few brief days.” He noted that the US Treasury may possibly also revoke several standard licenses that it has issued recently to allow particular transactions with Belarusian businesses.

“There is no legitimacy delivered to the ruler of Belarus by the Aug. 9 election,” Biegun said in a conference call with reporters, adding that the level of violence against protesters is usually “unbelievable.” “That behavior will not be cured with impunity by us or our European companions,” he warned.

Amid Western criticism, Lukashenko has increasingly reached away to Russia, which has a union agreement with Belarus envisaging close political, economical and military ties. Putin has explained he stands prepared to give police to Belarus if protests flip violent, stoking fears that Moscow could move to annex its neighbour.

Within an interview with Russian tv set stations earlier this week, Lukashenko eliminated a complete merger of Belarus and Russia but spoke and only closer integration.