Belarus Updates: More Raids and International Statements

1130 GMT: The heads of the diplomatic missions of European Union countries have sent a note to the Foreign Ministry expressing concern about the situation, asking for information about the health of detainees, and requesting meetings with the four Presidential candidates who are in prison.

Speaking at a press conference, the Hungarian Ambassador, Ferenc Kontra, said it was important to get the information before the EU discussion on 12 January about the situation in Belarus.

The EU ambassadors had met with the wives of the Presidential candidates and other political prisoners.

1115 GMT: Officers from the state security service KGB have raided the offices of the Belarus Helsinki Committee and are interrogating the head of the committee, Oleg Gulak.

The KGB is also reportedly looking for the leaders of the Belarus Free Theatre, which is currently on tour in New York. The directors, Natalya Kolyada and her husband Nikolai Khalezin, had been detained just after the 19 December demonstrations on Election Day.  The international coordinator of the Free Theatre, Artem Zheleznyak, was sentenced to 11 days in jail.

In a joint statement, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the European Union's representative for foreign policy, Catherine Ashton, have denounced the closure of the mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which was monitoring the Belarussian elections.

Lithuania is looking for a conciliatory line towards President Alexander Lukashenko. Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis said the European Union should adopt a common response to the actions of the Belarussian regime against the opposition but he warned, "We should slam the door on Minsk."

Other EU countries, such as Germany, have warned of a cut-off of aid over the post-election situation.