(12 Aug 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said Belarus' presidential election was not free or fair and the violent crackdown on opposition protesters should stop.
Speaking alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis during a news conference in Prague, Pompeo said the US wanted the people of Belarus "to have the freedoms that they're demanding".
Minsk and cities across the country have seen three consecutive nights of demonstrations over the official results of Sunday's vote which returned President Alexander Lukashenko with an overwhelming majority.
Police deployed to break up the post-election protests on Sunday and Monday used batons, stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets.
Pompeo is on the first stop of four-leg European tour which will take him to Slovenia, Austria and Poland.
After talks with Babis on business ties and cooperation, he urged the Czech people to embrace entrepreneurship and reject Chinese influence.
"If those countries try to bully you, we'll be right there alongside of you", Pompeo said.
Pompeo also spoke about the State Department's internal watchdog finding he did not act improperly last year when he approved billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia without the consent of Congress.
Republicans joined with Democrats in Congress to oppose the sales, but President Donald Trump, who has made close relations to Saudi Arabia a priority, vetoed resolutions in July 2019 to block the transfers and there were not enough votes to override him.
"We did everything by the book. We complied with the law", Pompeo said, adding a statement in the report which asserted the risk of civilian casualties had not been fully assessed was "unfounded".

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