KYIV - Belarusian security police searched offices and homes of lawyers and human rights activists on Wednesday, detaining at least 10 people in a new crackdown on opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko, several rights groups and media said.
Authorities have moved to shut down non-state media outlets and human rights groups after mass protests last August against a presidential election the opposition said was rigged.
Police searched offices of at least 14 rights groups, media, NGOs and charity groups, including the human rights organization, Viasna-96, and the country's oldest political party, Belarusian People Front, the groups said.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a protest leader who fled Belarus amid a post-election crackdown, said Lukashenko's regime was taking revenge on human rights activists and media.
"The (regime) accomplices have already threatened civil society in response to sanctions - they hope they can feel his power again if everyone in the country is silent," she wrote on Telegram messenger.
Viasna-96 said it was unable to contact its leader, Ales Byalyatski. Tsikhanouskaya said at least 10 people were detained.
Belarus security officials were unavailable for comment.
The independent Imena media and charity group, which does not consider itself an opposition outlet, also said that police had searched its offices.
Nasha Niva newspaper reported that police were trying to search the offices of another rights group, Belarusian Helsinki Committee.
Viasna-96, Nasha Niva and Imena gave no reason for the searches.
Viasna-96 is the largest rights body in the former Soviet country and is the main source of information on political detentions and arrests. As of Tuesday evening, 555 people had been recognized as political prisoners in Belarus, it says.
Authorities in Belarus said last week they had blocked Nasha Niva's website. They later said they had detained the editor and three journalists.