Belarus withdraws accreditation of foreign journalists

MINSK: Belarusian authorities on Saturday withdrew the accreditation of several foreign media journalists, including AFP, ahead of the latest demonstration challenging the results of the presidential election.

Government spokesman Anatoly Glaz said the decision was taken on the recommendation of the country’s counter-terrorism unit.

He did not specify how many journalists were affected by the measure, but foreign media including the BBC and Radio Liberty reported the withdrawal of accreditation of several of their journalists.

"The Belarusian Foreign Ministry called me and informed me that my accreditation and that of one of my colleagues as BBC correspondents had been cancelled. They demanded that I return my card," journalist Tatyana Melnichuk told AFP.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, is facing an unprecedented protest movement since the disputed August 9 election in which he claimed a landslide victory with some 80 percent of the vote. The opposition organised two major demonstrations this month and has called for a large-scale protest on Sunday.

Its leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to neighbouring EU country Lithuania after claiming she beat the 65-year-old leader and calling for the protests.

The results of the presidential election have been rejected by the European Union, which is preparing sanctions against high-ranking Belarusian officials and has urged Lukashenko to set up a dialogue with the opposition.

Lukashenko, for his part, has refused to make any concessions and has denounced a Western plot to bring him down.

The demonstrations have sparked a violent police crackdown condemned by rights groups and Western leaders.

At least three people have died and hundreds have been wounded in the violence while nearly 7,000 have been arrested. Several journalists working in Belarus have been briefly detained since the election.