Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko under fire

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's longest-serving ruler, is facing unprecedented opposition to his power.

The 66-year-old former Soviet farm boss claimed a sixth term as president in a widely disputed election on 9 August. He has faced weeks of mass protests against his rule.

About 100,000 people have rallied against him weekly in Minsk - by far the biggest opposition protests of his rule.

Mr Lukashenko has been in power since 1994, with an authoritarian style reminiscent of the Soviet era, controlling the main media channels, harassing and jailing political opponents and marginalising independent voices.

The country's powerful secret police - still called the KGB - closely monitors dissidents.

Political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is now Mr Lukashenko's main political rival. She stepped in to challenge him for the presidency after her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular blogger, was barred from running and sent to jail.