Belarus opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Friday appealed for help from the United Nations and called for sanctions against those responsible for alleged electoral fraud and rights violations in her ex-Soviet country.
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council by video link, Tikhanovskaya said the global body should urgently send a mission to Minsk.
"Today my country is in turmoil. Peaceful protesters are being illegally detained, beaten and imprisoned," said Tikhanovskaya, 37.
"We ask the UN to send immediately a monitoring mission to Belarus to document the situation on the ground," Tikhanovskaya, an English teacher by training, said in English.
Tikhanovskaya said Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko's regime was "morally bankrupt" and the international community should help put an end to "cynical disregard for human dignity in the middle of Europe."
She urged the West to introduce sanctions against those who "committed electoral violations and crimes against humanity."
The informal meeting was organised at the request of Estonia, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Unprecedented protests broke out in Belarus after Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state for 26 years, claimed re-election with 80% of the vote in an election on August 9.
Tikhanovskaya insists she won the poll but the Belarus strongman has refused to quit and turned to Russia for support.
Tikhanovskaya left the country under pressure from the authorities and was granted refuge in EU member Lithuania.
More than 100,000 people have flooded the streets of Minsk for three straight weekends to demand Lukashenko's resignation and a new demonstration is expected on Sunday.
During the first days of post-election protests, Lukashenko's security forces detained thousands of protesters, many of whom accused police of beatings and torture.
Several protesters have died.
This week six Belarusian journalists were detained for covering student protests. On Friday, a court found them guilty of taking part in an illegal rally and sentenced them to three days in jail.
The journalists were released having already spent that long in detention.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
