Belarus Latest: 31 People Still in Prison Over Election Protests

More than a month after the disputed Presidential election, more than 30 people remain in prison in Minsk over the 19 December protests.

Four Presidential candidates --- Alexei Mikhalevich, Vladimir Neklyaev, Andrei Sannikov, and Nikolai Statkevich --- are still held.

The other 27 accused include candidates' representatives, social activists, journalists, and a former police officer who spoke out on behalf of the protesters.

There has been limited communication with detainees.

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Belarus Updates: More Searches and Interrogations

More searches and interrogations: activists Vitali Omelkovich and Dennis Balakirev, who monitored the elections, student Hamutova Hleb, who had been detained for 12 days after the Election Day protest on 19 December, Klimko Anton, Olga Zhuravleva, and Valery Matskevitch and Nikolai Demidenko of the Youth Front.

Also questioned: Roman Gritsevich, a member of the "Right Alliance" and representative of Presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich.

Pavel Vinogradov of the "Speak the Truth" campaign has been detained.

The chairman of the Youth Front, Zmitser Dashkevich, and the head of the Minsk community organizations, Eduardo Lobavu, have been charged with offences.

Dunja Mijatovic, a representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has urged the Belarussian authorities to end attacks on independent media and to releaseimprisoned journalists immediately.

Belarus Updates: A Cancelled Press Conference and Possible Sanctions

2045 GMT: More searches and interrogations by the security services today: Anastasia Loiko of the human rights group Vyasna, Alexander Makayev of the Businessmen's Movement, human rights activist and journalist Vladimir Khilmanovich, and activists Andrei Presnyakov and Alexander Petkevich.

1725 GMT: Presidential candidate Vitaly Rymashevsky, who was released yesterday from detention but then cancelled a press conference to avoid re-arrest (see 0940 GMT), has given a cautious interview.

Rymashevsky said he had written President Lukashenko but it was not possible to reveal the contents of the letters. He added that his first priority was to secure the freedom of other detainees.

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Belarus Updates: The Latest Detentions

1435 GMT: Reports indicated five Presidential candidates --- Andrei Sannikov, Vladimir Neklyaev, Nikolai Statkevich, Vitaly Rymashevsky, and Alexei Mikhalevich have been charged with organizing activities which led to "riots" on Election Day on 19 December.

Under the order, the five men can be detained for two months while investigations continue.

The Guardian of London picks up on the story, reporting "at least four" candidates charged --- it does not list Mikhalevich.

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Belarus Updates: 5 Presidential Candidates, 12 Others Accused of "Organising Riots"

UPDATE 1155 GMT: Aleksandr Klaskovsky, the "hero policeman" who urged fellow police not to beat demonstrators on Sunday, has now repented for his "idiotic" actions.

Klaskovsky is the son of the prominent journalist and political analyst by the same name.

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